It’s OK to walk away from something that hurts you.
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try or wish and pray the circumstances of life were different, they never change – and they never will…
Those are the times when the best thing to do is turn the radio up and sing along with country/western singer JoDee Messina.
“Bye-Bye baby,
Catch you later.
Got a lead foot down on my accelerator
and the rear view mirror torn off;
‘Cause I ain’t never lookin’ back, and that’s a fact…”
On the other hand, you may only want to turn the rear view mirror sideways for a while. You can keep it that way long enough to take the action necessary to stop the cycle of pain, give your heart time to heal and regain your strength, but not so long that you lose sight of the fact that nearly every successful bounce back includes a realistic look back. The trick is to keep the lesson and let go of the pain.
I will never forget the brutal pain of betrayal and crushing rejection I felt the night my former husband agreed with his lover that I needed to leave – and quickly. I literally found myself out in the snow with two small children and nowhere to go.
In my heartache, I drew closer to God and He was faithful to comfort, protect and sustain me. But, once I was back on my feet, I was off and running again on “Penny Power” with little thought of looking back, learning from the past or applying those valuable lessons in my life.
For a while I did alright. But, when my son was about to enter kindergarten the weight of single parenthood and an uncertain future brought me to my knees once again.
This time I stayed closer to God long enough for Him to show me how He never wastes our pain. His grace flows through every circumstance of our lives. How can I be so sure? I have seen it in my life and lives of others. The promise of Romans 8:28 is as real as the ink on this page. “We know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” The Living Bible
If you have ever dealt with the pain of rejection, abuse or disappointment, you know how difficult it can be to let go of the pain and move beyond it. I would never want to make light of what you may have been or are going through right now, but at the same time, I want you to know – it does not have to stay that way. Pain does not get the final say…God does!
Without picking at the scabs or replaying the DVD in HD, you can look back, review the past and discover the positive ways God has, is and will continue to use your pain for good in your life and the lives of others. An encouraging book to read on this topic is Joyce Meyer’s Beauty For Ashes – Receiving Emotional Healing. http://amzn.to/1aKquPC
Now, I’d love to hear from you.
Share how you have taken a look back for a bounce-back in the comments section below.
