Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Letting Go

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health…A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. – Proverbs 15:30, 17:22

Just one look, on touch, or one kiss sends you into a place far, far away where love is easy and trust comes naturally. We all long to be thought of as worthy. We all want someone to love. Those dreams never fade – and sometimes they’re even more powerful than the reality of real relationships. People often stay in that dreamy phase of a relationship much longer than they should, refusing to let go of those tiny little butterflies. Nobody wants to experience abandonment, loneliness, yet another breakup, or a broken heart smashed into pieces. When a relationship turns sour it can be deadly to your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.

I know many people, including myself, who have let the sting of unrequited love take them to places they would never imagine emotionally. It’s not like he wants to be this upset or she wants to cry for days on end, but it happens. We choose how to react…and yet somehow it feels as if the choice has been taken from us. Maybe your ex cheated on you, or said something that you can’t forgive – and yet deep down at your core you still want to. That’s what makes it so difficult to let go!

There’s nothing worse than the pain of letting go physically. We want closure. We crave human interaction, desperate for a face-to-face conversation. If you’re in the middle of a breakup, keep the golden rule in mind: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (Matthew 7:12). It’s never okay to break up with someone over Facebook or text message. Even though it’s painful to let go of a person – especially as it can affect other friendships, the circles you socialize in, and the places you go – have the integrity to discuss it face-to-face.

The hardest part is when one or both people in the relationship refuse to let go spiritually the Lord has forgave every one of us way more than “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:33). When we harbor forgiveness, we are the ones in danger. Choose to look beyond the hurt, and look forward to the brighter future.

Prayer: Help me to take responsibility and seek reconciliation in all my broken relationships. Don’t let me hold a grudge or seek revenge, but show me a new way forward. Amen.

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