Have you ever made a really big mistake and felt like you could never get over it? Maybe you hurt someone’s feelings or made a bad choice, and you just can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like that mistake is stuck in your brain on repeat!

Here’s some amazing news from God: He doesn’t want you to stay stuck in the past! Even if you messed up yesterday, that was YESTERDAY! God wants to do “a new thing” in your life today!

In the Bible, God’s people had been taken captive to a place called Babylon because they had disobeyed God. They probably felt really bad about all their mistakes. But God told them, “Don’t keep dwelling on the past! I’m going to do something new! I’m going to make a way for you to come home!”

The same thing is true for you! Maybe you’re entering this new year feeling bad about things that happened last year. Maybe you’re disappointed in yourself or sad about how things went. But God says, “I have plans for your future! Don’t get stuck looking backward—look forward to the new things I’m going to do!”

Take Action: Get a piece of paper and write down anything from the past year that’s been bothering you—mistakes you made, things you regret, or situations that didn’t go the way you wanted. Then pray and ask God to forgive you for anything you did wrong. After you pray, rip up that paper or throw it away! That’s you letting go of the past! Now write on a new piece of paper: “God has plans for my future and my hope!” (from Jeremiah 29:11). Hang that paper where you’ll see it every day!