When the past haunts your thoughts, there is something important to think about.
We can’t change the past. There are things our actions can influence from the past, but those would be our actions today. What about the future? We can make plans if we have stuff we want to do. But we can only start from today, in this moment; this moment is each moment we’re alive.
God gave us some great knowledge and examples of how people lived in Bible times. The examples show people suffering and living their lives. In some ways it looks like the older generations struggled as much as we did. But the way the Lord guided them through life shows us something important. Not to mention the promises God has given to people who believe in Him.
Forgiveness is one of the things God gives us freely. We didn’t have to earn forgiveness from God, we only need to believe in Jesus.
While learning how much God forgives us of, and the guilt we carry in us from our past, from things we’ve done; we carry lots of memories and unwanted feelings we call trauma.
But when we gently give up our past, we learn some great lessons. No, we don’t always forget what we give up. Although it would be great to have selective amnesia, there are lessons from our past we can use today. While forgiveness of our past may seem selfish or villainous to those who have not. It makes sense when I tried.
When we forgive and let go of our past, though, we are free to look into what’s going on in our lives today, without all the baggage from yesterdays. The days we’re alive can seem like terrible days to some of us. I can remember when all I could have seen were the things that were going wrong. Now I get to see the presence of God in my life most days.
There are tough days, for sure. But when the past is gone and there is useful information we can use to live today, things change. Being present today allows us to live abundantly, not only for ourselves, but for the people we care about. Work. School. Friends. Etc. You can’t know how much you’re missing until you are free from things making you blind.
But what does it mean to be present? For me, it meant handing my past over to Jesus because that is why he came to earth in the first place. To remove sin. To remove the effects of sin from mankind. Though we live in a world that seem hell bent on sowing destruction we can have peace in our own lives.
A mind that isn’t dwelling in the past can see solutions to a lot of things happening today. When our minds are free from anxiety, our awareness picks up on things we can’t see while we’re blinded by things we’ve done, or things that have been done to us. Forgiveness is a great thing for us and the one we forgive, even if that one is ourselves. You can’t change the past, but if you’re living today then you can influence the shape of the future.
Think about the things you know you aren’t getting done because of the heavy weight you’ve been carrying.
But you are alive. You may even be in good health, but you don’t have to sit feeling hopeless while you still have life. I know it sounds rosy, but I lived under a cloud of anxiety and other uneasy feelings for most of my life. The Lord relieved me of them when I turned to Him. As I matured in what I was learning, I saw how as a believer, our hope can produce great things so we can do the things we are going to do in this life.
Freedom is one thing you will get from leaving your past behind and being present. It may not seem like it, but living with guilt or shame is like being chained. And it is heavy with all those things no one may know about. Our past can come calling in thought, people who show up, situations or circumstances. They may affect your mood, but they don’t have to ruin you.
While we must deal with the remnants of how we used to lived or the things done to us, we can forgive ourselves and others and move forward. It takes practice and requires us to change our minds. This will lead to a change of attitude over time. Remember that nothing happens overnight & life is worth the effort, if even for our loved ones.
Another benefit of coming into the present and leaving our past is better health. Any medical professional can tell you how much harm stress does to our bodies and our nervous system. No, I’m not going to talk about medicine or bash medication. We all need something sometime. But I will tell you that stress can give us symptoms of diseases or make us completely sick.
When we let go of our past and acknowledge forgiveness, as we live our bodies begin to come down from that distressed high. There is some chemical rebalancing that goes on in our bodies, and our thought process change. This will lead to better health over time. That is all on this.
Looking into the word of God. As I have studied the word, I have struggled with a lot of the things I do. I have made changes, both dietarily and mentally and behaviorally. The things I have learned while studying the word of God has led me to discovering a new me. A bit more confident and assured because the Lord said, and has proven, He is with me, and with us who turn to Him as a people.
I do share Jesus as I write, because if I share only my words and my experiences, I am doing each person that reads a disservice. The things I share on Spiritseid, I did not discover on my own. I’m not perfect and still learning. But I do know that my best life began when I turned to God and believed, and started walking in that belief by faith. He gave me the wisdom to see the things He was doing, so I share what I learn.
I encourage anyone who has questions about the Bible or about the Lord to ask.
But, I hope this blog post inspired you to lay down your burdens and come into the present. There is a rich life to be lived even in these turbulent times. Good people are sorely needed in this present time. Someone may need words of wisdom you’ve gained from what you’re going through.
