Things that happened in our past may be a great hindrance to us. I met a man who could not bypass his past and enjoy his present. He complained always, “You know my father did not take me to school so I could not get a good job’, “Because I did not get an education, I could not marry an educated wife…” He had so many things that did not happen for him, which he blamed for his woes. The truth is I had 100 times more education but his job paid him 10 times more than mine paid. Besides, he had a jewel as a wife who was semi-educated.
Living in your past may crowd your life that you would miss the present possibilities. This man was so drained by his past that he had incurable psychological as well as physical sicknesses. He was always on drugs and had a weak body. The past had drained all the good in him.
We may not undo our past but we can ride on it and move on to our destiny. You cannot assume that it did not happen- because it did, but it does not have to determine where we are going today! The Apostle Paul had a very ugly past. He had been a great enemy of the church. Based on his past he probably would have no one to hear him as a church leader. But he gives us a special secret of dealing with our past which is to forget it.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:13-14, NIV.
The best way to deal with your past is forget it.
Forget that your husband has failed you a thousand times. Forget that you missed better opportunities to be someone. Forget that your parents made it so difficult to achieve your dreams of you.
Forget it.
Now of course you know better than I that the same Paul who tells us to forget is the one who tells the story of his past doings. The same Moses who had killed a man forty years earlier is the one who writes about it. So what do we mean forget? You know you have forgotten an issue when the mention of the same no longer produces the same bad feelings; when those who wish to talk of it can get your testimony without giving you sympathy—because you do not need it; When you have so settled it in the past, that it has stopped being your hindrance.
Past Success
Remember the good old days? Those moments you wish every day was like? Those days when you received love from your spouse with no conditions or competition? Those good old days when whatever you put your finger on became an immediate success?
In my college days we knew people who were referred to as “Been-to”. They always talked of where they have been to. It was their way of impressing and intimidating. These were people who have no current success- they survive on the victories they had had in the past. But you know yesterday’s manna does not work today.
In the wilderness, while God provided daily manna for Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to Palestine, it had to be collected daily. Storing up the manna for the following day did not work. Similarly, we need to forget yesterday and pick new manna everyday. It is not a bother. You should never get tired. It works each day at a time.
There was this man who never told his wife “I love you”. When she complained he retorted, “When I proposed, I told her; When I revoke it, I will let you know “. Men you do not have to wait until you revoke it! Do not assume yesterday’s manna works today. Have some new success. There is never enough.
You never reach the top of success. Each success leads you to more success. You need to step on the success acquired already to climb further – success never ends. Every man or woman or couple that you admire or envy has something to work or improve on.
A rich American tycoon was asked, “now that you are very rich, how many more dollars do you need still? You would think he would need no more money in his life. His answer was really good – “one more dollar”. And that is true. You do not get to where you need no more success. This is so in marriage, in business, in ministry and all places.
As good as yesterday’s success is good, what carries the day is not history – but what is on the cutting edge today.
Past Failures
Your past failures are in your history and it does not need to determine you present. It is your inability to take failure with you that hinders. But failure in itself – Even the worst of it – can be a stepping stone to higher grounds. You may have scars from your past failures. But they are only reminders of the lessons you learnt the hard way.
If and when you fail, remember the world does not stop. Get up, get a cleaning and move on because the journey is not over. Some of the people, who have extremely outstanding historical records, include great failures on their track. Consider some: Moses killed a man, Paul persecuted the church, and Peter denied Jesus, three times! David killed a man, committed adultery, and lied about it. John Mark ran away from the mission field. But they are not remembered for the failures. They are remembered for making history in spite.
Some of the most successful marriages have gone through hell before being in the heaven you see today.
Acknowledge the failure. Settle it in your heart that it is history. Learn what you may from it. Then, break off and get going for there is enough for today.
Don’t kill it
