There is nothing more distressing that someone who lives in the past. The past is gone and we cannot change it. When we live in the past, we ruin our today's and our tomorrow's.

The today's and the tomorrow's of our lives are the touches of hope God has given us to better our lives and our situations. As a child, when I got sick, I thought I would never get well. But as an adult, when I get sick, I cling to the hope that today or tomorrow I will get well. This hope helps all of us live with a brighter, more God-like attitude.

I remember reading a story of a dentist who moved into a new house. He soon found the neighborhood kids where throwing trash in his yard. One night a teenager had a bad toothache. The girl's mother sent her to the dentist. He found that the tooth needed some expensive repair. The family could not afford it, but the dentist did the repair anyway.

The dentist did not send a bill, and he soon forgot it. During that summer, the dentist when on an extended vacation. When he returned, he found that the girl whose tooth he repaired had taken care of his yard. The girl smiled and said, "A tooth for a tooth."

When we forgive, we put the past behind us, and we live for today. And our forgiveness brings freedom, happiness, joy, and spiritual growth.