Philippians 3:13-14
Joel 2:1
How many times have we thought about, planned, or even made arrangements for our “New Year’s Resolutions” only to have them pushed aside? Even the best of intentions have a way of getting sidetracked by unexpected circumstances and/or life changes.
If you are anything like me, 2009 was filled with ups and downs. Whether it be losing a job, staring school, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, the unforeseen trials and tribulations of life can be a bit discouraging; moreover if you are not mental equipped to handle it, they can drive you to insanity. In just this year alone personally I have seen marriages and the fence, divorces, friendships ended and just the character of people changing 360 degrees. Why?
We often tend to carry over our unfinished dreams and expectations into the New Year, not realizing that we also bring with it baggage and failures from years past and with that the unforgiveness in our heart. It is understandable that the effects that our pasts had on us, or how we dealt with or chose not to deal with those events, help to shape our future. However, we do have some control over them by forgiving those that wronged us and forgetting those events that we had no control over, but most importantly we need to start by forgiving ourselves.
In Philippians 3, Paul expressed his feelings and thoughts on letting go of the past in order to achieve his goal of the future. “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on to towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” At this point, I am sure most of you all are saying the same thing; “putting the past behind me is easier said than done.” But no one said it was going to be easy. Even Paul himself said that this task was indeed a straining one, but he knew what most of us fail to realize: we need to “press on.”
We have done things for which we are ashamed and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we aspire to be. But it is when we place our hope in Jesus, we can let go of past guilt, trials, and tribulations and it is only then that we can look forward to what God will help us become. God has a plan for you and it is not one of living on the bottom for all your life. The bible says that, I came so that you may have life, and more abundantly. You are the head and not the tail, you are a lender and not a borrower, you are above (the struggles, the lay-offs, the hard aches, the pain, the poor communication, the messed up relationships, your past issues and mistakes, your bad judgment) and not below.
Don’t spend your days dwelling on the past; instead, grow in your knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with him. Realize that you must learn to forgive those that have hurt you and by doing so, know that God has also forgiven you. “He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness (Joel 2:13). Move forward in your goal of ever increasing faith and obedience. Know that we can forget the past and strain for the goal because we know God promises eternity with him at the end of the race.
Peace and Blessings
