In this episode:

Sometimes what keeps us stuck in the past is our own mindset. The apology from an offender might never come. And restitution might not be possible. But what if we could move forward and not punish ourselves for things we can't undo? The future is wide open for us to repurpose our struggles into something that gives us new purpose.

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Inspired Life
In episode 47, I introduced the idea of being stuck looking in the rearview mirror. This week, I give some next steps.
I’ve met many bitter people, and I’ve noticed most of them have something in common—they’re stuck on something from the past. It consumes them and negative thoughts and feelings erode anything positive they experience.
When something good happens to someone else, negative people can't rejoice with them. Instead, they look for some way to point out a downside. I’ve noticed how easily I can become pessimistic and fall into bitterness and resentment. It stems from buried hurt and old attitudes. Because I’m aware of this, I’ve made a conscious effort to deal with negative emotions.
It isn’t easy. But I’ve realized that I can’t move forward at the same time I have my focus locked on the past. As with driving a car, it wouldn’t take long before I crashed if I attempted to move forward without my eyes looking at the road ahead.
These four steps have helped me be free from the negative influence of old regret and pain—both my regrets over things I’ve done, and my pain over hurtful things said and done to me. You can be FREE too.

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Life, Repurposed
Getting F.R.E.E
F - Forgive Others. You may never get an apology. You may never be able to confront the person who deeply wounded you. That person might not even realize he or she ruined your life, and that doesn’t seem fair. You may never see justice and your perpetrator might never bear any consequence for his or her actions. But you can still forgive.
At first, it doesn’t seem fair to let it go, but forgiveness does so much good for a wounded heart. It prevents the offender from having the ability to continue to wound you from within. Your abuser, the person who wounded you beyond words, or the family member who made your life a daytime nightmare doesn't deserve forgiveness.
Forgiving is probably the last thing you feel like doing. But the Bible teaches us that forgiving keeps Satan from getting an advantage over you. Forgiving might not matter to the offender, but it matters greatly to your own spiritual, emotional, and physical health. It's the antidote for a poison that eats at your soul.
We can’t forgive on our own, but God can do what we cannot do. It takes the power of God’s Holy Spirit in us to let go of our justified anger.