"Moving On"

Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.

Proverbs 13:20 

 

QUIZ TIME!!!  What is the ONE thing you cannot change?  Surgery can't change it.  Money can't change it.  NOTHING can change it.  Give up?  It's your past!  The life you have lived up to this point cannot be changed or unlived.  However, our minds can relive it over and over if we let it, and it's usually not the good parts.

 

Let me ask you a question: "Where did God place our eyes?"  In Front!  So we can see where we are going instead of watching where we've been.  The wise person has learned from their lives up to this moment.  And they now live IN this moment while looking toward the future.  

LOOK!!!!

Do you have a past?  Are there things in your past that cause you pain, shame, guilt, embarrassment?  My past is LOADED with such things!  Most days I am astounded that God has let me live this long.  I read a Facebook post from a wonderful friend who shared: "You can’t re-write your past but with God’s good grace you can dust off and climb mountains!" Talk about a wonderful wake up call!

I spent many many years praying that God would forgive me for my past, yet the guilt and shame just got more and more overwhelming.  Finally, I decided I needed to talk with a trusted friend.  That friend listened carefully, thought for a moment, and then asked "Did God teach you anything through all this?"  BAM!  Right between the eyes!!!  God uses our experiences to shape us and teach us and prepare us for the purpose He has for us.

Our enemy will use our past against us to try to make us so guilt ridden that we just quit trying.  BUT...when we focus on God's love for us, we put the past behind us, learn from it, and close the door on it!  Let's make the conscious decision to look toward the future with the love God has filled our hearts with and BE the shining light to show others God's plans are truly worth striving for!