“The past has no power over the present moment.” ~
For someone who lives in the past, today’s quote sounds ludicrous. They would say, “How can you not be affected by the past?”. Sadly, many people are affected by their past. Deeply affected. Because of things done or decisions made in the past, they have become traumatized and/or immobilized and cannot seem to live in the present or hope for a better future.
We all may experience the past flashing back from time to time. We find ourselves in situations that remind us of times in the past when we blundered, made bad decisions, or fell astray. However, those past events serve more as a warning to us and a reminder of what not to do again. For someone who is trapped in the past, those memories haunt them and hinder them from moving forward.
We may have done wrong in the past. We may have done things that we consider terrible in the past. What matters is that we learn from what we have done so as to not repeat the past. In that way, the past cannot hold us. It can only serve to inform us and help us to move on.
Sometimes, we do not allow ourselves to move on. Sometimes, others do not allow us to move on. When someone has made bad decisions and ended up consumed by alcohol or other drugs, it is hard to stay off of them. Many people that used to be a support to them may actually turn against them because they refuse to trust that they might be better.
The same thing happens when a rehabilitated person finishes a prison sentence. That person is released to society but society might not believe that the person is changed and refuses to employ the person or give the person a chance.
We may not give ourselves a chance. Others might not give us a chance. There is one who will always give us a chance, though, and that is God. Give your past to Him and ask Him to help you solve it and settle it. Move forward with confidence in His willingness and ability to help you.
FAITH ACTION: Let go of your past. Instead, celebrate your present and look confidently to your future.