Let Go To Move On

Let Go To Move On

When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Mark 11:25

Ricky was a new patient in my practice, so I asked him to tell me a little bit about himself.

“I ain’t been to a doctor in years, ever since my wife, Kathy Sue, died. I still blame her doctor for not treating her cancer.”

Ricky told me a little more about his wife and the kind of cancer she’d had. “They did surgery on her, but it had already spread all over. They just closed her up, and she only lived a few months after that.”

It was evident that Ricky’s bitterness still occupied his thoughts—and ate up a lot of his time.

“What brought you in to see me?” I asked.

“Well, I can’t sleep. My head hurts, and I’ve lost so much weight my pants are fallin’ off.” He paused for a moment and then raised his eyes to look at me. “Am I gonna die now too?”

Looking at him, I could tell he was depressed, but I needed to rule out other possible causes of his symptoms. I ordered blood work, a CT scan of his head, and other tests. They all came back negative. At his next appointment, I told him the good news.

“Then what’s wrong with me, Doc?” he asked.

“You’ve been mourning the loss of your wife, and you’ve been mad at her doctor for years,” I said. “You’re clinically depressed.”

I explained how stress and anxiety created a serotonin deficiency in his brain. I recommended that he start on medication.

“But most important, I want you to know that Kathy Sue’s death wasn’t anyone’s fault. You can’t blame her doctor, you can’t blame her, and you can’t blame yourself. If you want to heal, you’re going to have to let go of your grudge.”

A doctor can prescribe medication to stabilize brain chemistry, but only we can let go of our pasts in order to move forward.

TODAY’S RX

Is there someone, or something, in your past that needs to be forgiven before you can move forward? To improve your health and happiness, do it today.

Jesus, whenever I am too stubborn to forgive, help me to remember your sacrifice and the ultimate model of forgiveness you displayed by dying on the cross. Let me be quick to forgive, knowing all you’ve done for me.