Played: 41 | Download | Duration: 00:01:58

Trap No. 3 - Getting Stuck In The Past

...I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13

Bob was deeply depressed following his wife death. For an hour he poured out his heart. Now this can be good; it can show what needs healing. But talk alone doesn't change anything. So I asked him, "If the situation was reversed and you'd died first, what would your wife do"? Immediately he replied, "Go on and enjoy her life." The minute he verbalized it, the lights came on and he exclaimed, "I've been feeling sorry for myself too long. We both hated it when people did that. I'm going to reconnect, find fresh purpose, and get back to church." He did, and the next time I talked to Bob he had started to rebuild his life. The pain was still there but he'd started to transcend it by taking action. Freud taught that the subconscious mind could be freed from painful memories by psychoanalysis. But his premise was faulty because memories, good and bad, remain part of you. Plus his theory leads you to believe that problems can be talked to death, without you ever having to do anything about them. God said, "I will turn their mourning into joy, and exchange sorrow for rejoicing." Don't stay so long in the past that the future's gone before you get there! Ask God to reframe your past and give it new meaning. He can help you to look back with gratitude and forward with confidence, by transforming the most painful memories into powerful motivators and sources of future wisdom. All you have to do is ask Him!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God who can change mourning into gladness and give joy instead of sorrow! Amen