There's a common misconception that moving on is the same as letting go, but the two are totally different. 

First, let’s define what both terms really mean. Literally speaking, moving on means "to leave one place and go to another." However, emotionally, moving on means "to begin your life again after you have successfully dealt with a traumatic experience."  

Put simply, when you find happiness again, you have moved on. Moving on is returning to being productive and social in your life without hyper-focusing on the person or thing you lost. 

However, letting go is quite another matter.

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Letting go is defined as "to release someone or something from your grasp." This definition can be interpreted both literally and figuratively. Some individuals never let go of the thing or person they lost. Though they move on to achieve happiness and success, they never let go. They cannot risk a long-term relationship with someone else since romance means losing their lost loved one. 

After they lose their job or career, they give up on it rather than try again because it's not worth it anymore. You only let go of someone or something when you consider it a part of your past and not something that's missing. Even if you wish things had turned out differently, you can consider your life complete and whole without them in it. 

The best way to let go when meeting new prospects is to treat them as individuals and not compare them to someone you've lost. It's only by doing so that you can let go.

Whatever the reason for moving on from things such as past relationships, disappointments, or sin, know that God has a plan for you. While He knows that moving on takes time, your future is what He wants for you, not the past. As Christians, we've been created anew, and you're no longer a part of your old life. 

Thankfully, God knows how hard it is to move on, so there are plenty of Bible verses to help us get through it. 

“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9). 

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“I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18).

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

Continue to go forward, as God's love drives you to do so. Ask God to help with whatever troubles you, and allow Jesus Christ to be your motivation. 

As you move on from a tough time, there are many ways to help the healing process along. While moving on is not the same for everyone, here are three different methods you can implement to help you move on from a troubling or traumatic event.

Moving on from a relationship

Dealing with a failed relationship can be painful.

Whether the end of your relationship was mutual or not, it’s difficult to deal with feelings of rejection, disappointment, loss of self-esteem, and broken dreams. 

There’s a saying that experience is the best teacher, and you’ll discover that God has a reason for allowing this particular circumstance to occur in your life. Without trying to figure out what this reason is, your experience was pointless. 

There are three things to keep in mind when moving on from a relationship:

1. Acknowledge 
2. Accept
3. Advance

After you acknowledge the problems in your relationship that led to the breakup, accept that it took place and advance toward a more healthy relationship in the future. 

Since we're mere human beings, we frequently make mistakes. What matters is that we learn from them. 

Moving on from the death of a loved one

Whether you lost family members, a job, or a relationship, grieving is always the first step to healing. 

Some people never get over the loss of a loved one, even if they are confident that they are with God. Grief is a difficult process, and not everyone grieves in the same way or for the same amount of time. Coping with the pain of loss is integral to moving forward. 

The first step in the grieving process is accepting the reality of loss and realizing that the person is physically dead. Visits to the place where the body is buried, attending the funeral service, and viewing the body after death can be extremely helpful to our mental health when dealing with grief. 

It can also be of great help to speak of the deceased person regularly and remember the good times we had with them.

Moving on from a broken dream

Have you ever had a dream that you thought would become a reality but ended up not working out?

In this world, broken dreams are common, whether it’s the dream of parenthood that's dashed or a career goal that you can't fulfill. A broken dream can cause you to feel as though all your hopes have been lost. However, broken dreams are more than just endings. A missed opportunity can mean a newer and better offer down the line. 

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Whenever you feel sadness or anger about the loss of your dream, God can give you peace and joy. If you choose to trust Him to help you move on and live a life filled with the resurrection power of Christ, there’s no limit to the miracles you can experience.

You won't learn anything by asking God why a dream died. Because we are limited in our understanding of the reasons suffering enters our lives, the Heavenly Father rarely reveals them. 

Changing your focus to ask what to do now once it's happened is a good idea. There's an adage that says God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes what seems like failure can lead to success.

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The only way through is forward

In times of grief, our judgment can become so clouded that we fail to see the bigger picture. 

We might ask how something so horrible and traumatic could fit into God's plan. Since the beginning of time, God has used pain to lead us to the best version of ourselves, and He continues to do so today.

Hope comes from despair. Understanding that our circumstances shape us in ways we cannot see allows us to accept the hurt now so that we can truly move forward.

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For more about moving on, download the Pray.com app in the iOS App Store or Google Play.