Turn the Page

By Nancy B. Gibbs

As a writer, I know too well the blank page syndrome. That’s when you are holding a pen, staring at a blank page and nothing comes to mind.

Nobody talks about this opposite syndrome, however. It’s the “too much on the page” syndrome. I personally have many more problems with that illness.

And I’m not really referring to writing on paper. I’m speaking of life as a whole.

I hate to have to admit it, but I oftentimes hold on to regrets way too long. I think back to misunderstandings and wonder why they happened in the first place.

Maybe I could have been a little more careful with how I said something. Maybe it wasn’t what I said, but how I said it. Maybe I was just in a horrible mood. Maybe I can do something that will erase those words from yesterday.

The only wasted regret is the one where we learned nothing. We cannot go back. I once heard Rev. Billy Graham say “you can’t unscramble eggs.” He is so right. Likewise, we can’t go back and take away the words that once slipped from our mouths. It’s impossible.

Fortunately, we can learn from those crowded pages from our past. But once we have gone back, pulled out the stuff worthy of filing in our hearts and minds, we should wad up the paper and toss it in the garbage can.

Why do we sometimes allow those incidents from the past keep tumbling around in our minds?

You may be thinking that hard discussion you had with your sister Jane many years ago, will never completely go away. You don’t even want to face her. It would be way too painful.

But the time comes that you and your Sister will come together (probably at somebody’s funeral). That’s when you must make a decision. Will you be nice or will you act like a jerk?

I’ve seen lots of people act in crazy ways at funerals. I’ve also seen sisters come together that had been estranged for a decade. Do you know the difference in the two situations?

The ones acting like jerks love that too much on a page syndrome. They have a point to make and they plan on making it one way or the other. The silent treatment works pretty well for starters. Then you have the cold shoulder. And unfortunately it sometimes even goes deeper than that.

Hatred rushes in. They feel more hate than any one person should for even just a few seconds. Hatred is satans first line of attack. He thinks he’s winning.

So how can we get beyond the “too much on a page syndrome.” There’s two ways. Give it to God. Let him forgive and forget and then follow in His steps. He’s all about reconciliation. He’s about love.

The second way is to pray for those who have caused you grief. Life is way too short to waste our time hating someone. I have learned you can’t hate someone and pray fervently for them at the same time. One will win over the other.

Today is the day to flip that page, live our lives to the fullest, forgive and forget, and throw out the garbage. The burden is not worth carrying around, even one day, much less a lifetime.

I’m forgetting everything that is in the past, moving on to this day and never letting anyone steal my joy again.

They can hold on to the crowded pages, but this girl has decided she will always turn the page. I hope today you open your book of life and start today with a blank page. Then turn the book over to God.