As we start this New Year, I have a very specific message: Go forward and don't go back! It is imperative that you release any old, toxic relationship that is keeping you from your fresh start in 2013. Let God continue to renew your mind and strengthen you.

That's what I had to do after my relationship drama.

Initially, I wasn’t going to go.

I really just wanted to stay home and go to bed because it was the anniversary of the day I had met my ex. If you have ever been involved in an intimate relationship that went sour, you know special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, or any sentimental days the two of you shared, can be a real tough for you. So a few of my friends from church invited me to hang out at the mall and get some air. They knew I had just been loafing around that particular day in jeans and a t-shirt after my traumatic breakup six months earlier.

So I decided to go ahead and get dolled up and spend a little time hanging with these women who were
really positive influences on me as I was growing in the Lord. They kept me accountable. I was serious about not going back!  

After being in a toxic relationship, it is important not to let your guard down. When that man has been in your system the way my ex was in mine, you know you can’t play with fire. It’s one thing to say you’re moving on and it’s another thing to actually get out and stay out… especially when you miss him.