By Pastor Mark Lee

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 12 months, chances are you are aware of the pop culture phenomenon known as Frozen. Disney’s 53rd animated feature has broken box office records, raked in more than $1 billion, and captured the hearts of nearly every little girl in the country. Much of the movie’s appeal can be credited to its catchy soundtrack. And, one particular song has emerged as a fan favorite: “Let It Go.”

As we settle into the New Year, this catchy number offers some good advice. Many of us are carrying the baggage of 2014 with us into 2015. Whether we have a long list of regrets or a catalog of mistakes, the disappointments of the past can prevent us from embracing the future. In fact, even our successes and accomplishments have the ability to hold us back.

In order to move forward, we have to stop focusing on what has happened and instead focus on what happens next. After all, it is impossible to successfully drive down the freeway if we are constantly looking in the rearview mirror. Obsessing about the past is a fruitless endeavor because we can’t control or change what has already happened. It is simply a waste of time.

Isaiah 43:18-19 tells us to “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” The amazing truth about God is that he is far more interested in our future than he is in our past.

So, in the words of the popular Disney song, we need to “let it go” and take advantage of the many opportunities for growth, change, and progress that the New Year brings!

VantagePoint Church meets at Roosevelt High School on Sundays at 8:30, 10, and 11:30 a.m.