SOME
of us, sometimes, are stuck in the future, because our pasts haunt us, and we
agree: it’s no vibrant way to live.
Others of us are stuck in the past and cannot see hope nor a way for the
future; we’re living in an unsatisfactory present.
Few
people live mindfully, and at joy, in the present. Few people are unencumbered by what’s ahead
or what’s left behind. But we can be one
of the few. We can choose to make the
very most of what’s ahead and behind, rather than letting past or future
dictate how we’ll feel. We can choose.
God
loves us most in that: he gives us choice.
Moving
forward from a determined and contented present is always contingent on being
content to leave what’s gone as gone.
The other half of the story is the practice of faith into the unknown
vistas of what’s coming our way.
Future
and past; these are not nemeses. They’re
lens through which to see life. No
matter how dark our past was, it is a ‘was’.
It’s gone. And if there are any
demons present from that bygone time, it’s possible in every case to heal from
those experiences. No matter how foggy
the future looks, the future looks better with faith. The future is not an enemy; it’s an unknown
and unknowable thing, that’s all.
Ultimately,
we land in this place and position:
You
may think what’s ahead of you is impossible.
But
look what’s behind you:
A
history of God’s faithfulness…
And
your obedience to keep stepping in faith and to not give up.
The
more we keep going in life, leaving the past behind because it is what it is,
the more we’re able to step hopefully into a future that beckons.
You’re
an overcomer, because Jesus has shown you how.
You’ve been an overcomer and it’s incumbent on your hope to find your
way back to those times when you’ve overcome the vast obstacles that have
proven nothing but that they’re overcome-able.
***
It
bears repeating, because it bears good reflection:
You
may think what’s ahead of you is impossible.
But
look what’s behind you:
A
history of God’s faithfulness…
And
your obedience to keep stepping in faith and to not give up.
The best is ahead if what’s behind
is left behind.
What’s behind was there to teach us
for what’s ahead. Let’s use whatever we’ve
learned to keep forging the path ahead.
© 2016 Steve Wickham.
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