Friday, August 11, 2017

Let It Go

"In distinctly separating each day, we are given the chance to LET GO of
mistakes, things we regret and things we didn't get right." Daniel Bartlett

As we go through our waking hours, we all face the temptation to wish it away, to end it quicker than it will naturally come, and to want to the new mercies of tomorrow morning by crawling back in to bed and declaring the day done.

Heaven knows I've been there. Sometimes by 7:00 A.M.

I would be willing to guess that most of us don't come to the end of our day with a time of reflection. We seem to be pretty good at starting our day with God, but the ending part? Not so much. Likely because we are tired, unfocused, and worn out from trying to start to early, do too much, and not resting periodically throughout the day.

But if we continue on this pattern, our mornings can't be transformed. The more I read the quote above (ironically from the trainer I use), the more I realized that without taking the time at night to allow God to work on my heart while I sleep because I laid it all out before I close my eyes, the pattern of starting each day spiritually behind will continue. Why? Because I will still wake up feeling defeated from yesterday's shortcomings and with a focus of doing better, trying harder, being more consistent today.

When God created everything, He did it with order and intention. And the hours we spend in the dark, are meant to be restorative, not haunting. But if we take what we regret from the day to bed with us, all it's going to do is taunt us when the lights are out, either with eyes that won't stay closed, thoughts that keep reliving what could have been done better, or dreams that frighten.

So perhaps instead of continuing with this madness, we should be taking, at the very least, the two minutes we brush our teeth to end our day with thanks to God for allowing both the good and the bad as an opportunity to grow closer to Him and see the reality of His grace. We know we aren't to let the sun set on our anger and give the devil a foothold, but maybe we need to stop letting it set on our regret, too and giving him that same foothold.

At the end of the post I quoted above was this final sentiment: "By letting go of the past, we free ourselves to seize the opportunities to make the difference we want in the new dawn." In other words, if we go to God confidently and receive His mercy and forgiveness at the end of the day, we can no longer hold ourselves bound to what He has forgiven. Maybe then we'll not only get His peace to flood our hearts, but also a restful night's sleep.


No comments: