The Hand You Hold

A regrettable decision. A missed opportunity. A failed relationship. A wound from childhood. A great loss. It could be any number of things, but for many of us the thoughts of the past plague us. Some try to deny the thoughts, never dealing with the sin or the pain. Others may scrutinize the past to a point they fail to live in the present and move into the future. Both of these approaches hinder us from experiencing the joy of Christ.

Events in the past have affected who we are and often need to be processed and worked through. But there comes a point after we mourn the loss, grieve the wound, or repent of the sin that we must move on.

We hurt ourselves when we dwell in the past. We have no control over what has already happened. All we have is the present, which is full of future hope.

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul writes, “…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” To reach ahead, Paul had to let go of all the things he once prized (i.e. self-righteous pride). He had a new identity in Christ, and to take possession of this newness, he had to leave the old.

So too we cannot reach forward when we cling to our past wounds, past failings, past sin. In Christ, we are completely new. Our hearts wiped clean. But we cannot live out our new identity if we live in the past.

That does not mean our pain has ceased or we do not feel remorse. It’s a matter of focus. Do we dwell on the past? Or, do we allow God to mend our broken hearts, learn from our mistakes, repent of previous sin?

Daily, we have a choice about where we let our hearts dwell. Our future hope and present activities are closely connected. The promise of Christ’s second coming gives us the courage to live with faith, hope, and love today. And how we live today determines who we are tomorrow. So then, learning from the past, living in today, and looking towards Christ’s return helps us live out our divine call as imagers of God.

As we cease from the despair which results from looking at our past, and turn to hope through Christ’s return, we will live more fully, with joy and with peace. Focusing on that day helps us move forward in life, trusting and resting in His grace. Let us then let go of the past and join Paul in reaching forward to the hand of Christ.


Thought(s) of the day:
What of the past do you cling to? What keeps your grip from letting go? What would it look like if you dropped the past and took hold of your future with Christ?