Praying through the past

I have been annoyed, begrudged, angry, and hurt by the negative things that have happened to me (or that I have done) in my past.

For the record, it certainly was not all gloom and doom, but there some unfortunate things that happened to me — and has happened to everyone, so I know I am not alone there.

But, it occurred to me that while I could carry on with all kinds of thoughts and reactions to past experiences, I could also, with an open hand, give them over to God to redeem, renew, restore, and replenish. I can pray for God to show me the good that can come of it, the heart I have for a certain kind of person because of it, the way I can share with others who might also be in a similar situation.

I can decide how I want to go forward as I consider each misstep and mistake that tries to haunt me and for those experiences that were not my doing at all but impacted me negatively. Praying through these situations and giving them over to God to work out is my preferred way to move forward.

There are times I revisit the past in a poor frame of mind and fire up the frustration of the injustice of it all. But, that isn’t something that moves me forward and towards a sense of peace.

God uses the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad, the heartwarming and the heart-wrenching and showers me with His grace each and every day.

Blessings on your day!
Liz