April: The Past is the “Past” Let it Stay There

Our past should be just that “our past.” And yet many times we find ourselves living a life where we are still carrying the pain from hurtful things that have happened to us as a child or in our adulthood, or that we have done to others. Some people struggle with not being able to overcome the feelings of being a failure from broken relationships including loved ones or divorce, while others may struggle living in a state of grief over the loss of loved ones.

While we are all built differently and process life’s events differently our struggles including our past should not debilitate us to the point where we are not able to thrive, live a healthy and balanced lifestyle both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Most common things we wrestle with regarding our past and why we can’t move on

Forgiving ourselves

1John 1:9

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Asking God for forgiveness of whatever we have done in the past that we believe we are holding on to is a way for us to move forward in life. There is a level of hurt, pain, and disappointment that seems to stay with us through our lives when we don’t forgive ourselves for mistakes.

After the fall of man God already knew, we were going to make mistakes. And that there was not one perfect person on this earth. Which is why He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins. At our best state we can still make wrong judgement calls in life. We are not perfect. The sooner we realize that the more free we can be. It is not a greenlight to do what we want but understanding that we are not perfect is liberating within itself.

God loves you but He is not looking at you.

Galatians 2:20 - 21

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Number one being a recipient of Jesus Christ, as we are, God is looking at the Christ in us not us. Our lives are hidden in Christ. God loved us so much that even though we did not deserve it He sent His only son to die on the cross for our sins.

What is grace? This definition is here because I believe we need to be reminded.

Grace refers to God’s unmerited favor, kindness, and love freely given to humanity, particularly in the context of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  This is something we cannot earn or deserve.

We don’t operate according to the word of God to get “brownie points” because there is no such thing. We are operating according to Gods word because we are His daughters and it is where we are safe.

Forgiving Others

Matthew 6:15

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.

We can hold people hostage in our hearts for something they did to us which can also keep us in the past at the same time. But God is not a one-sided God.

We cannot wait for someone to tell us they are sorry for what they did to us before we forgive them. If we don’t forgive others it can cause us to be bitter, angry, place us to have a victim mentality in life, and blind us to not see our own faults. Ultimately unforgiveness fester to the point where it effects our health.

Health issues that stem from unforgiveness according to health expert:

Unforgiveness can have detrimental effects on both mental and physical health, potentially leading to increased stress, anxiety, depression, and even heart disease, high blood pressure, and compromised immune function.

We need to hide behind the cross by forgiving others who may have wronged us.

Luke 9:62

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in thekingdom of God.”

What happens when a farmer is not looking straight ahead when plowing the land?

While farmers typically look back to ensure the plow is at the correct depth, they are advised to not look so that they maintain a straight furrow.  If a farmer doesn’t plow straight,  seeds might fall into furrows, leading to inefficient watering and fertilization, resulting in crop loss and financial damage. 

We cannot grow if we stay in the past. If we are not growing, we are not just being stagnant we leave this earth too soon. The result of living in the past can take us out of here.

2 Corinthians 5: 17-18

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

We got connected back to God through Christ. It is important that we continue to remind ourselves that we are new now and walk in that newness. We now can fully and wholly relate to Christ and our relationship with God through Him. Somehow many of us have forgotten about the fact that Christ lives in us to the point where we think God is looking at us. And God is trying to remind us “daughter” I am looking at the Christ in you not you. It is the Christ in you that makes you new, it’s the Christ in you that makes you whole, it is the Christ in you that can turn your life around so walk in it.