Letting Go of Emotional Wounds

We live in a society that loves to make excuses, and one of our favorite phrases is: “It’s not my fault.”

True, we’ve all had negative things happen to us but if you look hard enough, you can easily find reasons to have a chip on your shoulder. Anyone can make excuses and blame the past for his or her bad attitudes, poor choices, or hot temper.

You may have valid reasons for feeling the way you do. You may have gone through things that nobody deserves to experience in life. Perhaps you were physically, verbally, sexually, or emotionally abused. Maybe you’ve struggled to deal with a chronic illness or some other irreparable physical problem. Perhaps somebody took advantage of you in business and you lost your shirt, as well as your self-esteem.

I don’t mean to minimize those sad experiences, but if you want to live in vic­tory, you cannot use past emotional wounds as an excuse for making poor choices today. You dare not use your past as an excuse for your current bad attitude or as a rationalization for your unwillingness to forgive somebody. The fourth step toward living your best life now is to let go of the past.

It’s time to allow emotional wounds to heal, to let go of your ex­cuses and stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s time to get rid of your vic­tim mentality.

Nobody—not even God—ever promised that life would he fair. Quit comparing your life to somebody else’s, and quit dwelling on what could have been, should have been, or might have been. Quit ask­ing questions such as, “Why this?” or “Why that?” or “Why me?”

Instead, take what God has given you and make the most of it. You may have suffered much, endured great hardships, or been through a lot of negative things. You may have deep scars from emotional wounds, but don’t let your past determine your future. You can’t do anything about what’s happened to you, but you can choose how you will face what’s in front of you. Don’t hold on to feelings of bitterness and resentment and let them poison your future. Let go of those hurts and pains. Forgive the people who did you wrong. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made.

You may even need to forgive God. Perhaps you’ve been blaming Him for taking one of your loved ones. Maybe you are angry at God because He didn’t answer your prayers, or some situation didn’t work out the way you had hoped. Regardless, you will never be truly happy as long as you harbor bitterness in your heart. You will wallow in self-­pity, always feeling sorry for yourself, thinking that life hasn’t dealt you a fair hand. You must let go of those negative attitudes and the ac­companying anger. Change the channel and start focusing on the goodness of God.

However, true, it is easier said than done. Sighh..