The Past

Forget the former things: do not dwell in the past.
See I am doing a new thing.
Isaiah 43:18-19a


One day I am going home. I have no idea when that will happen but thanks to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ I know that I am going home eventually. In my prayer time this morning I realized that the last thing I want to do is bring my dirty laundry.

Twice today I heard or read messages about letting go of the past. Sounds simple, but then we read that God allows some suffering in our lives for the benefit of others. My most intense suffering is in my past which means I would have to remember it, relive it, in a sense to help others, right? Lately I’m beginning to think the answer is no.

What happened to me, what I have experienced has defined my personality and my choices. I can help because I understand. I can bring empathy to the situation without revisiting my past. I can encourage and offer support because I know there are brighter days, better opportunities ahead.

Our Father offers us freedom from our past. He does not want us to carry that burden. We should learn what we can and move on. More important we are called to live in the moment. Many of us have worries about tomorrow based on experiences from last year.

Besides painful experiences I also have many pleasant memories and I don’t believe that God wants me to give those up. I don’t think He wants me to allow them to become idols either. Whether we are caught in the negativity of past embarrassments or failures or trying to relive our glory days or replay the highlights of our lives, our past can have a hold on us that becomes unhealthy.

Each day we are given a new chance, a fresh start. We can accept that gift and make the most of every day or we can live in fear or disappointment. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34 ) and based on the, “each day has enough trouble of its own” I think he would want us to leave yesterday behind as well.

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