One of the most beautiful passages of scripture is found in John 21.

Jesus and Peter have a conversation that allows Peter to let go of any guilt and shame he was holding on to for having denied Jesus three times.

Imagine how Peter felt. It would have been so easy to hide behind his shame. But he didn’t. He let it go, choosing instead to hold on to his faith.

We need to do the same.

No matter what we’ve done in the past, there comes a time when we need to let it go. The pain. The guilt. The “what if’s.” The fear. The sadness. The hatred. The anger. The desire for revenge. All of it.

We need to gather it all together and hand it over to God. That’s right — give it to God in exchange for hope. Confidence. Joy. Forgiveness. Compassion. Acceptance. Contentment. Love.

God wants to take these things from us so that we can be renewed. The very word “renew” means to make better: out with the old and in with the new.

Let Jesus take all the old, painful, unproductive hindrances and replace them with a heart and mind fixed on all He wants for you and all He has in store for you.