NOVEMBER 21ST, 2021 | Great Expectations is a novel written in the 1800s about a woman jilted twenty minutes before her wedding. Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster, lived out the rest of her life in a dilapidated mansion wearing her wedding gown. All the clocks in her house were set for 8:40, the exact time she received the message that her groom had run off with another woman. She was stuck in time due to disappointment and bitterness.
We may not go to such extremes, but we can also get stuck in time over bitterness and disappointment. If we forgive and let go of our need for revenge, we will realize greater expectations for our life. There is freedom in forgiving that includes forgiving ourselves. Through Christ, we can wipe the slate clean, start over, and live the abundant life Christ died to give us. Romans 12:19 (ESV) says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
Proverbs 14:10 (ESV) says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” Don’t get stuck in time; be the owner of a new life by letting the past die today.
Restart the Clock
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
–Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV
Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
–Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV
Great Expectations is a novel written in the 1800s about a woman jilted twenty minutes before her wedding. Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster, lived out the rest of her life in a dilapidated mansion wearing her wedding gown. All the clocks in her house were set for 8:40, the exact time she received the message that her groom had run off with another woman. She was stuck in time due to disappointment and bitterness.
We may not go to such extremes, but we can also get stuck in time over bitterness and disappointment. If we forgive and let go of our need for revenge, we will realize greater expectations for our life. There is freedom in forgiving that includes forgiving ourselves. Through Christ, we can wipe the slate clean, start over, and live the abundant life Christ died to give us. Romans 12:19 (ESV) says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”
Proverbs 14:10 (ESV) says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” Don’t get stuck in time; be the owner of a new life by letting the past die today.
Are you stuck in a painful memory, stopped at that moment? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you forgive, move on, and live again.
When a painful memory arises, address it immediately. Don’t let it take root. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you dig it up, discard it, and sow happier memories.
- Restart the Clock - November 21, 2021
- Have You Been Squeezed? - November 10, 2021
- Perfect Vision - November 2, 2021