LET IT BURN
BURNING THE BRIDGES TO A TOXIC PAST
There is a verse in a song by Erykah Badu that came out a few years back that goes “Bag lady, you gon hurt yo backdragging all them bags like that, I guess nobody every told you all you should hold onto, let it go, let it go, let it gol let it go. I’m not sure what faith Erykah is, but that song is a bit prophetic.
Looking back over my life and some of the mistakes that I made in the past, if there’s one dominating factor to the root of all my problems, it would be lacking the ability to let things go. I can recall several instances, where someone would mention a guy from my past in the middle of a general conversation and instantly, certain memories of him would begin to flash in my mind. Minutes would pass, and I would start wondering about how he’s doing. Within an hour, I’m rummaging through my apartment in search of his picture or phone number, quickly dismissing the reason why I left him alone in the first place. It was easy for me to back-track so quickly, because the bridge to him was never burned.
Jesus told the wealthy man inquiring about how to obtain eternal life to sell all that he had and to follow Him. The man walked away disappointed by the fact that he would have to give up the comfort of being rich to follow Christ. The truth of the matter is as believers we are required to run this race with endurance and in order to run; we have to lay aside the weight of our past. At some point in your life, you have to come to a place where you decide to let go of your past and keep moving forward. I know what you’re probably thinking, that it’s easier said than done which is true. That is why it is extremely vital to not only let the past go but to burn the bridges that make it easier for you to cross back over again. Don’t get me wrong, it is important to acknowledge where you’ve come from however, clinging to the past shows lack of faith in what God can do for your future, because holding on to certain experiences hinder not only your growth, but also your relationship and progression in Christ. If you continue to grasp tightly to things just because of what you “once had” then that should tell you right there that it’s time to let it go. You have to keep looking ahead, like the apostle Paul said, “ But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead .” In order to venture freely into your future, you have to begin to sever ties of your past. Even if it means throwing away pictures, erasing numbers, emails, visiting certain places or listening to songs that get you reminiscing on the very thing or things that you are trying to let go of. God does not operate on yesterday, so why should you? You can’t look back. From now on, try to begin focusing on making new memories and traveling the new paths that God lays before you. Let go of all that old stuff. Don’t just forget about the bridge of burden that the past leaves you with, grab some matches, strike ‘em to burn those bridges… and don’t look back.
