Have you ever noticed that sometimes our past can control our future? It's true! Life is all about going on our journeys and trusting God to lead us. And what I have discovered is that while sometimes, we may want to move forward but sometimes we are distracted. It's like we're driving a car, but we aren't actually watching the road.
One day, I was driving down a very quite road where there was hardly any traffic. As I was driving, I thought I seen a cop car sitting off the road and of course I started to worry if I was speeding or not (cause no one likes a ticket!). Even though I had passed the car, I still found myself looking in the rearview mirror trying to see if the cop car was going to come after me or not. I finally stopped looking in the rearview mirror and put my eyes back on the road, but then I realized that I was slightly over the line. Thankfully there were no other cars around when this happened, and I was able to get back into my lane with no issues. But that's when I got a great revelation; Sometimes we are so distracted and worried about our past (what's behind us), we aren't even focused on what is ahead.
What would have happened had I not turned my attention back to the road sooner? A lot! I probably could have ran off the road into a ditch. Or worse, another car that could have came, and I could have caused an accident because I was distracted. Thankfully, none of these things happened. But this brings out the point that when we focus too much on our past, we end up messing up our futures. Once I passed the car, I should have put my eyes back on the road, no matter how fearful or anxious I was.
Psalms 73:24 says that "You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny" [NLT]. God is in control of what's ahead. He's our guide! And because we know this, we should never be anxious about what is behind us. After all, if God is leading us to a glorious destiny, why are we still stuck in our past? Why are we still beating ourselves up over past mistakes? Why are we holding grudges and unresolved feelings of guilt? It's because
The unknown scares us. The future is in God's hands. And while that should be comforting for us, it's still pretty scary. You don't know what's going to happen and most of all, you have no control.
The past is familiar! We already know what's behind us right? It's not as scary as our future. Sometimes it's hard for us to stop looking back because we're too comfortable with our past habits.
We haven't let go. When the past is traumatic or disappointing, we can hold on to it for a long time. We may feel like we are owed something.
Listen...God does not desire us to live in our past. He also does not want us to be distracted by our past. By past, this could mean the mistakes you have made before, the people who have wronged you, or the seasons of life that were so awful, you still suffer from them. Either way, you have to let it go and keep your eyes on the road! Psalms 25:4 says "Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow." [NLT] Jeremiah 29:11 states "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." [NLT] You have to focus on the road that is ahead. No longer can we continue to look in our rearview mirrors and be distracted by what is behind us. It's behind us for a reason.
One of my favorite scriptures is 2nd Corinthians 5:17. "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun." [NLT] This scripture is just like when you are driving somewhere. You are no longer at the place where you started. That destination is gone from your view. You are headed to a new destination. You can't get there by constantly looking at what you've left behind.
So to anyone who is running from their past, or even distracted by the past, make the decision today to leave what is behind you BEHIND you. Get your eyes back on the road. Get your eyes back on God!
"Leave your simple ways behind and begin to live; learn to use good judgement." Proverbs 9:6
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