By Aiden Richmond | LTVN Sports Director
Let go.
It’s one of the hardest things you can do. Whether it’s mistakes, regrets or even painful memories, we tend to hold on to them far longer than necessary. We run through our minds every second, trying to find a way to fix something that already happened. We ignore the stress of the past in hopes it will change the present. It weighs on our minds, affects our decisions and keeps us from moving forward. The Bible tells us that letting go is necessary for peace and growth.
In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul writes about “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.”
This doesn’t mean pretending the past never happened. Instead, it means not allowing it to control your future. Too often, people replay their worst moments over and over, which only increases anxiety and stress. If even someone like Paul — who had a complicated and violent past — could move forward with purpose, letting go is possible for anyone.
Stress often comes from trying to control things we can’t change; the past is the perfect example of that.
Matthew 6:34 reminds us that you “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”
If we’re not supposed to be filled with worry about the future, why should we be holding on to the stress of the worry trapped in the past? When you live with your mind either in the past or the future, you miss out on the present — the only time you have control over.
An important idea that coincides with letting go is forgiveness, both of others and ourselves.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”
God offers us fresh starts every day; he gives us a chance to move on from the mistakes of yesterday. Holding on to past wrongs —whether done by us or not — blocks the renewal process. Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened, but it releases the grip it has on our minds. Without that release, stress builds and turns into bitterness or regret.
Letting go is less about losing something and more about making room for something better. When we carry the weight of the past, we don’t have the energy or mindset to grow. The Bible consistently points toward renewal, hope and moving forward.
That doesn’t mean life will suddenly become easy, but it does mean we’re not meant to stay stuck.
At the end of the day, everyone wishes they could change something, but the truth is, peace doesn’t come from fixing the past. Rather, it comes from trusting that it doesn’t define you anymore.
Letting go is not weakness; it’s a decision to move forward. That decision is exactly what leads to a less stressful, more meaningful life.
