I have been asked many times where I come up with ideas for columns. After almost five years of doing this, I will admit some weeks it is difficult to put words on paper, or in this case words on a screen. But most weeks something comes to mind or I have been enlightened by a statement from a friend, from something I have read and many times I feel inspired to write a particular column.

I am always amazed at how God uses so many different means of getting our attention about something we need to work on in our own lives, or maybe even something we need to share with others. I always want to let it be known that in many ideas I share, I am not judging anyone. In fact, most of the time I am speaking of things in my own life I need to be working out. I am a firm believer that I have a log in my own eye and should be concerned with that, versus the small twig that might be in a neighbor’s eye.

To bring this into play, I have read several forms of information in the past week, including newspapers, social media, and even from listening to the comments of others, about this topic.

We all think of the New Year as a clean slate to begin anew; to be a better person, physically, mentally and spiritually. We want to leave the baggage from the previous year behind us and forget about the mistakes we may have made in all areas of our life. We are most willing to do this and move forward with a lighter load to carry.

But herein lies the problem; while we want to leave our mistakes behind we are not always ready to do so with mistakes our family, friends and neighbors might have made over the course of the year.

Now this does not mean that folks should not have to make amends for problems they may have caused or pay for crimes they may have committed. However, in order to free ourselves from the burdens we have to do the same with others. Not one of us can stand before neither man nor God and proclaim our innocence. Only by grace can we be forgiven and have our burdens lifted.

I am going to work harder this New Year to let the past be in the past, I can’t hang onto mistakes I have made and expect to move forward. The same holds true for others, if they have asked for forgiveness for their mistakes then I should not continue to concern myself with what they may or may not have done. The past is in the past, the future is ours to do the best we can with the time we have. Time is so fleeting I want to keep my eyes on the eternal hope, where His promises will never fail you or I.

Randy Garrison is the president and publisher of the Hartselle Enquirer.