New You

One of the lovely results of living in Truth is that all things, including your past, become new to you. Christ changes you and your life. As Paul explains it, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is so true.

As we let go of hurts and offenses and negative ways of viewing the world, we make room in our hearts for new thoughts and new emotions. And through those new thoughts and emotions we see our past, our present, and our future differently. Instead of seeing how we were hurt, we see how others were hurting. Instead of feeling victimized, we feel remorse for what we did to contribute to poor relationships or situations.

At first this sounds like merely an exchange of bad feelings, but it is a release. As we let go of heavy, painful things, we experience an escape from bondage and unnecessary pain. We climb out of the dark Pit into the light of Truth and joy where we are free to express our true selves and feel and use the power of positive emotions to shape our lives and interact with others.

Letting old things pass away—handing them over to the Savior to take care of instead of carrying the burden of them around ourselves—is freedom. The death of the negative allows the birth of the positive.