Forward Still: Trusting God Beyond What Was

As I reflect over my week, one of my favorite scriptures comes to mind.

Book of Isaiah 43:18–19:

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing… I will even make a road in the wilderness.”

This scripture always meets me right where I am.

If I’m honest, we all have moments where we look back at the hurt, the pain, the relationships that didn’t serve us, and the places God has already shown us we’ve outgrown. And yes… I’ve looked back, too.

Looking back, once became a quiet habit for me. It felt harmless, but in reality, it was holding me hostage, delaying my healing, distracting my purpose, and challenging the legacy I was trying to build. There are lessons in the past, but there is a difference between learning from them and living in them.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is this: If you keep holding on to what was, you leave no room for what is becoming. Letting go is not easy. Sometimes it feels like a loss. Sometimes it leaves you uncertain, even broken. I remember a time when I believed I was in the right relationship, the timing felt right, the connection felt real, but what I thought was good to me was not good for me. When it ended, it left me hurt, confused, and starting over, not just in love, but in understanding my worth, my standards, and my purpose. That wasn’t the only time I found myself in a place of confusion. There were seasons that felt like a wilderness, full of emotions and unanswered questions. But what I’ve come to understand is this: God does His best work in the wilderness.

It is in those uncertain moments that something new begins to take shape, a new mindset, a new strength, a new version of who you are becoming. And sometimes, that “new thing” requires you to release what you keep revisiting, not because it didn’t matter, but because it no longer fits.

I had to make a decision: to stop revisiting what God had already released from my life and start embracing what He was preparing me for. I had to stop asking “what if” and start declaring “what’s next.” That shift changed everything.

Instead of looking back with regret, I began to move forward with intention. Instead of holding onto pain, I created space for healing. Instead of questioning every step, I began to trust that even the difficult moments were preparing me for purpose. And that’s where I am today… still becoming.

So, if you find yourself looking back, wondering if you should return to something God has already removed, let me encourage you:

Don’t go back to what God has already brought you through. There is nothing behind you that is greater than what is ahead of you. God is still doing a new thing in your life, even now, even here. You may not fully see it yet, but it is already springing forth.

Keep moving forward.

Keep trusting the process.

Keep becoming.

Be Great,

Terri Thompson