It Is All About You
How many times have you been told, “It’s not about you”? (and probably from someone else who thought it was all about them!) Most of the time I agree with that line of thinking, but for today let me say, “IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU!” Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Have you ever heard the Toby Keith song, “I Wanna Talk About Me”? (I love that song!) For the purpose of our time together today I want to talk about you, too.
In our last post I shared with you a story about teaching my children the importance of learning to let go. When it comes to letting go of the things in our lives that hold us back, it really is all about us. Letting go is all about our peace, happiness, joy and, most importantly, freedom. If we are not careful we will allow issues from our past to rob us of the future we have been designed and destined to experience.
The one thing that robs more people of their best tomorrows is their hurt or regret from yesterday. Now before we get too far into this post and the next one let me pause and be as sensitive as I know how to be. We all have hurts. We have all had bad days and bad relationships. We all have stories of rejection, defeat and failing. We have all been let down by others at times in our lives. We all have things that happened to us in our past that we wouldn’t have chosen to endure. (I don’t want the things you are about to read to cause you to be offended with me or to stop reading. Stay with me until the end and read the next few posts as well.) However, there is a phrase in many of the sentences you just read that I want you to focus on: “we all have”. I am sure you have hurts and pains that you feel are worthy of giving your time and energy. Honestly I do, too! About ten years ago I realized I had allowed bitterness from my past to grip places of my heart and the result was evident in every area of my life. I didn’t even realize all the ways it had affected me until I started getting real with myself and my emotions. I instinctively knew (and I bet you do as well) that if I didn’t come to grips - and then release my grip - that my life would not be lived to its fullest potential. So I made a decision that was very simple but not easy at all. I let it ALL go!
The decision, or the process of deciding, brought about a wave of thoughts and emotions:
They don’t deserve to be let off the hook!
I don’t know how to let it go!
It’s not fair!
However, there was also another series of thoughts and emotions that engulfed me, and I am so glad that they won the battle:
How much more peace could I know if I weren’t holding on to this junk?
How many great things could I create if I freed up the space in my brain that is being occupied by this bitterness?
How much more fulfilling could my current relationships be if I opened space in my heart?
No matter what you have been through, I know you deal with emotions. I have said to people for years, “Feelings are real, but you’d better not trust them.” My encouragement for you today is to wrestle through all the feelings and emotions you have but let the ones that promote peace and freedom dominate your heart and mind. Above all, LET IT GO! It’s not about the things you have been through. It’s not about the person(s) who hurt you. It’s about your peace, happiness, joy and freedom. It’s all about you!
