Philippians 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
As I look to my future I cannot help but look back at the past sometimes. When I was at my mom's home, I went through her photo album and found some pictures of me in the past. Why do we let the past still affect us? Past mistakes can haunt us. Past words from a bully can sting us. Past failures can loom over our head like a cloud of doom. Past skeletons can creep out of that closet we thought we had locked many years ago. A simple word, a smell, or a touch can bring back memories that can either comfort us or propel us into a flashback that rocks us to our very core.
Your past does not define who you are today. It helped shape who you are today, but it does not define you unless you let it. The past can almost be like a "Pandora's Box" or a treasure chest/ The thing is we have to let the past where it is, in the past. Hopefully we learned from the past mistakes and failures but some of us, me included, tend to hold onto the past like a trophy or a prison.
For way to many years I held onto the past like a prison. Yes I learned from the past, but instead of letting it go I tended to occasionally keep dwelling on it. The words that hurt me through grade school and high school, the mean spirited bullies who teased me, The "if only" and "what if" thoughts could easily take over. The regrets and the "if I had known then what I know now" scenarios played out in my mind. Why? the stupid thing is the past is the past. I cannot change it or undo it. All I can do is learn from it and move on.
Way too often we are so wrapped up with what someone did or said to us 10, 20 or 30 years ago. We miss out on friendships because of something in our past. We miss out on good times because we are locked in our past and too afraid to step out of the past and step into the future. We become timid and afraid and lock ourselves away. Or we could deny our past and pretend we never made a mistake, never failed at anything. We could deny that we were hurt by someone and build a barrier around ourselves so thick that no amount of love could penetrate it.
If we do not learn to embrace our past and learn from it, we will be making a colossal mistake. I have learned a lot from my past about who I was and who I am now and who I want tot be in the future. My past allows me to look at myself in the mirror and say, "You've come a long way baby!" Instead of going around with a poor pitiful me attitude about my past, (trust me there still are times I go there), I try my best to ask God what He wants me to learn from my past.
Your past, my past, does not define who we are today! For me I am choosing to look forward to my future. I am looking forward to learning more about who God wants me to be. I will press on to the end of my race where I will receive the prize of eternal life with God. My past is my past and God holds my future. The sins of the past are dead and buried through the blood of Jesus Christ. My future is bright and yours is also.
Today, put the past where it belongs, in the past. God is not in your past. He is in your here and now. he is on your future. He has wiped away your past, He has dried your tears and He has forgiven your sins. Look forward and press on. Stop being a victim and letting your past define you. God defines who you are and He says you are made in His image! He loves you inspite of your past. Let Him heal your past and help you learn from it, but don't let your past define you any longer!
Lord help us to learn to forget what lies behind us. Help us to learn from the past and move on the the future you have waiting for us. In Jesus name I pray, amen!
If we do not learn to embrace our past and learn from it, we will be making a colossal mistake. I have learned a lot from my past about who I was and who I am now and who I want tot be in the future. My past allows me to look at myself in the mirror and say, "You've come a long way baby!" Instead of going around with a poor pitiful me attitude about my past, (trust me there still are times I go there), I try my best to ask God what He wants me to learn from my past.
Your past, my past, does not define who we are today! For me I am choosing to look forward to my future. I am looking forward to learning more about who God wants me to be. I will press on to the end of my race where I will receive the prize of eternal life with God. My past is my past and God holds my future. The sins of the past are dead and buried through the blood of Jesus Christ. My future is bright and yours is also.
Today, put the past where it belongs, in the past. God is not in your past. He is in your here and now. he is on your future. He has wiped away your past, He has dried your tears and He has forgiven your sins. Look forward and press on. Stop being a victim and letting your past define you. God defines who you are and He says you are made in His image! He loves you inspite of your past. Let Him heal your past and help you learn from it, but don't let your past define you any longer!
Lord help us to learn to forget what lies behind us. Help us to learn from the past and move on the the future you have waiting for us. In Jesus name I pray, amen!
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