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!

"And That's The Way It Was..."

Don’t ask, “Why was life better in the ‘good old days’?”
    It is not wise to ask such questions.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 

 

George Bernard Shaw is credited with saying, "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."  Let's face it, every family has skeletons.  Every person in every family has things in their past that they would like to forget, from bad decisions to idiotic actions to embarrassing moments, we all have a past. We've discussed this issue before, but it bears repeating because, quite frankly, the past just keeps popping up and distracting us.  

 

I've heard the "good old days" stories and, I know this will come as quite the shocker, have told a few myself.  Yes, I grew up where we played outside as often as possible.  Yes, I grew up riding my bicycle to the store where I traded glass pop bottles for candy.  Yes, I grew up when bubble gum was only a penny.  Yes, I grew up when we couldn't wait for the Sears Wish Book to arrive (and it weighed several pounds). Yes, I did some really idiotic things and made some REALLY bad decisions.

 

But here's the thing to remember (from our last chat on this topic): everything in your past has helped to shape who you are NOW!  And everything that is happening to you NOW is going to shape who will BECOME! 

 

1.  Learn from the past.  It's a great teacher if you pay attention.

2. Don't dwell in the past.  You can't plow a straight line looking over your shoulder.

 

Got A Warrant?

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24 

 

The photo you see is Arko.  Arko is one of the K9 officers of the Richland County Sheriff's Department and he is very good at his job.  His job?  Searching and finding.  Having witnessed a K9 perform a search, I can attest to the fact that not much escapes their attention.  When the K9 shows up on a scene, people tend to get nervous if they have something to hide.

 

Now, if Arko showed up to search you or your property, would you be nervous?  As good as Arko is, God is even better.  Why?  Because God already knows everything about us (good and not-so-good and even the stuff that could go either way).  So when the Psalmist writes "Search me, O God, and know my heart" he is asking God to search not just his body, but his mind, his intentions, his spirit and is giving God permission to TEST him to seek if there is ANYTHING that God would find offensive.  

 

Here's the thing:  God doesn't need a warrant!  But God's not mad at you or out to get you either.  God uses every single situation to Teach us or Reach us.  Sometimes that means getting our attention (usually in ways we don't like).  But God is always reminding us that if He didn't love us, He wouldn't bother to try to Reach or Teach us.

 

Consider that for a minute.