Closure is the one event that can extract you from the jaws of your past and catapult you into the winds of destiny. Many times in life, even with the most precise calculations, things don’t work out as planned. Someone walked out on you that you thought would be there forever, you went financially bankrupt, you lost a job, you got a divorce, a loved one died… Those are events that can absolutely shake us to the core and change the course of our lives forever. But that does not mean that you have to suffer for the rest of your life. Learning to close a chapter and walk away from your past can be the key to unlock an amazing future. I remember hearing a message years ago entitled, “Your tomorrows are going to be wonderful.” The preacher said, “We are so used to bad that we have lost our ability to believe and accept the good.” In God you are always on the brink of a new day and a fresh start.

I have learned that every experience, every failure and every success is a “potter’s wheel encounter.” An experience that continuously shapes us into who we are destined to become and shoves open the doors of opportunity. Constant regret of past experiences can turn into a horrible monster keeping you anchored and chained to the past. Your inability to release past disappointments opens the flood gates of un-forgiveness. Forgiveness defined is, “To grant relief of payment, pardon, excuse, release, the act of releasing someone for past hurts or disappointments.” Forgiveness is essential if you are going to live a life that is fruitful and effective. Nothing blocks the creative flow of life more than un-forgiveness.

I am convinced un-forgiveness is the root of all “dis-eases.” It produces a spirit of bitterness, resentment and hatred. It eats away at you like a cancer. Refusing to forgive someone hurts you, not the person responsible for hurting you. It’s like you drinking poison thinking it is going to hurt someone else. Un-forgiveness destroys relationships, lives and deactivates our God-given abilities. When we refuse to forgive, we are telling God that Jesus’ death on the cross was not enough. God’s grace is sufficient for any wrong that was ever done to you.

Learn to swiftly resolve personal issues and allow the peace of God to guard your heart and mind. Peace is captured in just letting it go, forgetting those things which are behind us and pressing forward to those things which eagerly lie ahead. Courageously look ahead and not get trapped viewing life through a rear view mirror.