YOUR PAST (PART 2)

“Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5 NKJV

Your past can either be an albatross around your neck, or the wind beneath your wings. So:

(1) Accept what happened. If you don’t, you’ll keep reliving it. Helen Roseveare was a missionary in the Congo from 1953 - 1973. In 1964 she was taken prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapings. In her book, she writes, “I must ask myself, ‘Can I thank God for trusting me with this experience, even if He never tells me why?’” The secret of trust doesn’t lie in answers; it lies in acceptance. It’s knowing that in the midst of whatever has happened, is happening, or will happen – God is in control. Either you fix your mind on that and determine to live again, or go through life feeling like you never got a fair shake. (2) Bury the past or live with its ghosts. Rehashing old hurts is like watching the same movie over and over, hoping for a different ending. It’s not going to happen! Learn from it and move on. You don’t drown by falling into the water, you drown by staying there. (3) Get out of the blame game. Blame is a waste of time. When you blame yourself you multiply shame and chain yourself to the past, and increase your already low self-esteem. When you blame God you cut yourself off from His power, doubt replaces trust, and you put down roots of bitterness that make you cynical. When you blame others you add to the distance between them and you, and lose the only option that works – forgiveness. Instead, trust the One who promised to “make all things new,” and move forward. Do you receive that today?