This dog looks very similar to our granddog, Braxton, a 9 year old lab retriever. Something else that is very similar is the amount of hair he sheds on a daily basis! Whenever we visit our daughter’s house, we come away with what we call a “Braxton sweater. Seriously, there is not one inch that isn’t covered with short blond dog hair! When we finally get home, we see that blond hair for another week or two. It is a little annoyance, but overshadowed by the joy we have being with him.
Today, as I was petting him, I thought about what a purposeful thing it is to shed the past damage in our lives and “lighten our load.” When our daughter uses a machine to remove excess hair from Braxton, he seems so much skinnier. Kind of like when we can forgive someone and our burden is lighter. We are freer to enjoy life, without the weight of grudges, painful memories that freeze us, and that can cause decades of bitterness.
A new year is upon us now. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to let go of the things that we have held onto, forgive the one who hurt us, and determine not to be chained down by any of it for another day? Don’t we deserve to move forward into 2017 with a lighter load?
Take some time this last week of 2016 and evaluate what load you have been carrying, release it to the Lord, forgive (act of obedience to God), and rise above the chaos and drama. It’s a new day and a new year!
“Forgiveness doesn’t take the other person off the hook; it take YOU off the hook.”
This week on Chained No More Talk Radio, we will have an ENCORE interview (12-15) with Dr. Ben Cross. His topic is “Bitterness or Forgiveness” and the downloads for that original program, was well over 300,000. Please listen this Tuesday at 2pm ET at www.toginet.com. You can also download the orginal podcast from 12-02-15 by going to www.toginet.com/shows/chainednomore and tapping “View More Podcasts.”
Christmas 2016 is past and the new Year 2017 is close at hand. Please take an inventory of what you might be holding onto, think about how much power it still may have over you, and lay it out before the Lord. Give all your hurt, anxiety, bitterness, fear, etc. at His feet and begin a new year free of the mounds and mounds of hurt that you have been hanging onto. Once you have done that, you may have to set up some healthy boundaries so those relationships can be manageable. As I write these words, I am praying for all of our readers that you will find freedom and joy in 2017 like never before.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!