“Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.”

“Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.”

 

Far too many of us walk around carry way too much baggage from our past. We are all guilty of it. What’s bad is that when we do that we allow what happened “yesterday” (you can pick the time frame) to taint the joy or happiness that we could experience today. Yes, I will admit that the things of “yesterday” can shape our thoughts, our attitudes and behavior. It can makes us look at things that happen today (or tomorrow) through the scratched, foggy lens in our mind. That is really unfortunate because what honestly could have just been a simple thing turns into something that the other person never meant it to be. It is very possible that the person has no idea what happened in our “yesterday” and there was no way that they could connect the two completely unassociated dots.

You may have been hurt by someone or some situation and you have built a high, thick brick wall around your heart, mind and soul. You may have made a very major mistake that cost you dearly and now you live in a fear or shame and so you are afraid to make any mistake again. You may have been dealt a terrible blow in your life and so you mentally, socially and spiritually checked out. I understand that those things are often incredibly hard to get over, to overcome, and to shake. The reason they are is because we either don’t really try, or we bury our head in the sand and pretend it never happened (that is NEVER a good thing because we aren’t fooling anyone), and sometimes we don’t want to because we have grown comfortable wallowing in our self-pity or anger and we have learned to operate in that realm such that it has grown into our “normal.” We become our own worst enemies. We become our own jailer. We begin to see only the bad things or the possibilities of the bad happening in our lives. In our human attempts we limited in our ability to truly “make peace” with our past.

There is one who promised that not only can they help us make that peace but to truly overcome whatever it is that has us so weighed down from the past that we don’t have the life in us to make the most of today.

Listen to Jesus’ own words, His promise from John 8:31, 32, and 36

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”    “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

Believe Him, follow Him, we will see the truth in life and that truth will make for freedom. Jesus has a freedom for His followers, freedom from the past, freedom from guilt, shame, hurt, anger, animosity, etc. etc.

And along with that is some scripture that I personally hold close – in John 16:33b   “…In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Did you see that? Jesus didn’t say everything in life would be daisies and rainbows but that in this life here on earth we will have it hard at times. At first glance that doesn’t seem all that good. I am not a fan of trouble. I am not a fan of having hard times, or hard things happen.  But then He says “I have overcome the world” He is saying that those who follow Him will overcome as well. Did you see that? Not cope, not might, but WILL overcome. Overcome what? Overcome all the hard times and trials in this life.

Later Paul would share something for us to do that would help us to see more than just the “tribulation.” In Philippians 4:7-9

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

I seriously doubt that everything in your life is a tribulation; I am sure that there are some good things if you would but look for them and then focus on them. If we do what the Bible says here, then there is a promise attached – “the God of peace will be with you!” 

Yes, yes thank you very much I will take a good dose of that please. I like peace; I want God to be with me… so yes, thank you I accept. Oh, wait. You mean I have to let go of the past and rather than wallowing in my shame, anger, hurt I have to accept freedom and then all the good that surrounds me?  I’m not sure I can do that. You see God, my life hasn’t been perfect, people have hurt me, I have grown accustomed to carrying this stuff.  I can’t just let it go. What’s that You say? All I have to do is let Jesus take it? But I did that don’t You remember back when I was like 9 years old that old preacher dunked me in the water. What? You say I didn’t give it over to Jesus I just got wet because some other kids were doing it? Are You saying that’s why I haven’t really experienced peace and joy, why my “yesterdays” continue to ruin my “todays?”  Then today can I hand it all over to Jesus? Because really I do want to be free of this mess.  I do want to not just make peace with my past I want to overcome it and have Your peace God.

I want to truly live for today and look forward to tomorrow.

We cannot make peace with our past. Jesus can make peace with yesterday, today and tomorrow. We cannot make break the chains, the baggage that keeps us burdened.

SO – rather than make peace with your past…make peace with Jesus and He will unshackle you from the past so that you can truly live free for today.