How do you handle the painful memories of a broken
relationship? It’s especially difficult when you still have friends in common that
think it’s their obligation to give you updates whenever you see them. Maybe
they don’t understand that it’s like throwing salt on an open wound. Maybe they
don’t understand how difficult it is to process the information. Maybe they
don’t understand that the devil uses that opportunity to drag up old memories
again.

Years ago, in the wake of a broken relationship, I was
reading Proverbs 4 when verses 14-15 leap out at me. “Do not set foot on the
path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on
it; turn from it and go on your way.”

That’s when the Lord told me not to even drive down the
street that housed one of our favorite hangouts. Why would God tell me that?
Because He knew that every time I went down that street it made me remember the
times we spent together. He knew I needed a season of time to let my memories
heal. He knew that if I starved my mind from entertaining memories of our
romance that eventually my mind would heal and my soul would be healthy again.

What we feed grows and what we starve dies.

Today I can go down that street because the wounds of my
past have healed, but when they are fresh, memories rehearsed too soon cause
the wound to fester again. If you struggle in this area, protect your heart. Ask
the Lord what He wants you to do to put a guard around your heart. He knows you
intimately and wants you to completely heal. He knows the wisdom and strategy
that will completely restore your soul.