"When you choose to focus more on what Jesus has done for you than on what others have done or said to you, you will have the faith to stand up and start moving forward."
- Christine Caine / Unashamed
If you are anything like me, you sometimes struggle with the things of yesterday. These things linger on in your head, bothering you from time to time. What I have come to realize is, stepping out of what happened and into the process of healing is incredibly rewarding. This choice to get well is one that won't be regretted. A choice that won't bother you from time to time or linger on in your head.
John 5:1-8
Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
It is so important to understand that you cannot change what happened yesterday, but it doesn't stop there - with just understanding. You can move on from it. You can decide where you will go from there. What you have to do is stop finding a reason and an excuse to stay stuck or justify why you are the way you are. Stop holding onto the past. Stop staying stuck in what has happened to you and mistakes you have made. Make the decision in your heart to truly get well. After you make that decision, begin the healing process. Walk towards freedom. Walk towards a better tomorrow. In the midst of all of this, trust that God's strength will indeed carry you through. I promise, without a shadow of doubt, it will.
I lived staying stuck in what has happened in my life - what other people have done or said to me and mistakes I have made. When I finally decided to get well, everything within me changed. God made me new. I was completely redeemed, set free from the bondage of sin and shame. Jesus died on the cross to set us free from our sins; they aren't ours to hold onto. Let them go.
"The key to moving from a damaged, shame-filled life to a whole, shame-free life is allowing the healing power of the love of God to permeate every crevice of our wounded soul and bring healing, wholeness, and strength."
- Christine Caine / Unashamed
I highly recommend reading Unashamed by Christine Caine. It is a wonderful book, and the reference for this post. God has spoken to me so much through her testimony and teachings. She is amazing!
