Now it looks a bit better!

The past always looks better than it was. It's only pleasant because it isn't here. (Finley Peter Dunne)

When does a person know they are finally done with their past? That might just be one of the toughest questions for us to answer because our past doesn't always have a way of staying in the past, does it? There will be times when the memory is flooded with something we have said, done, or experienced and there is just no stopping it coming forward. Truth be told, our past is a mish-mosh of both good and bad - it is fine if the memories that flood in are the good ones, but when they are the bad ones, we don't actually enjoy those memories. 

God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:5-7)

As I have matured, I realize the way I experienced and apprehended things in my twenties is much different from the way I do now in my sixties. The events didn't change, but the way I remember them does. How does that happen? If we are honest, there is a degree to this 'change' in our remembering that we don't fully understand, but I believe it is because God has been at work within us. He has helped us to see clearly the things in the past that fully belong to the past and those lessons we can take from them that we can use in our present.

If God is light and there is no darkness at all in him, isn't it possible that he will also be able to 'filter out' the darkness of those memories and help us to see only the 'light' that he brings forward in the form of 'lessons'? The cleansing from sin is thorough, but the lessons we take away from those sinful moments is lifelong. The past need not be a thing we dread or 'will away' as though it should not ever be thought about again. In fact, when God helps us to see our past through his eyes, we begin to see just how much he loved us even when we weren't all that lovely! Just sayin!

The past has a loud voice

 One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. (Golda Meir)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-23)

We have many choices in this life, but there is no greater one than choosing to leave our old way of doing things behind and choosing to live by the grace and love of God within our lives. We may attempt to erase the past, but we oftentimes find it hard to 'get past' what we have done, guilt and even shame haunting us about some of the decisions we have made. The one thing we can never forget is that God is all about new beginnings. We may have chosen unwisely in the past, but we don't need to make those same choices today.

When we really 'hear' the truth, we also begin to 'learn' it. Hearing is the beginning of all change - in time, the more we choose to make those 'right choices' we have been learning while under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, the more we will find those things within our past have absolutely no room in our present. We cannot 'erase' it, but God can take the many leftover parts of our past - memories, scars, and even losses - and turn them into such magnificent things in our present. We cannot allow the past to rob us of our present, but sometimes our past has great lessons we can take along with us as we walk in the 'here and now' with Christ.

As we 'hear' and 'learn', we come into a place of trusting God with those 'past mistakes and regrets'. We may still bear the scars of those choices, but God has a way of turning what we may deem to be ugly and regrettable into something of beauty and purpose. While we struggle to find the purpose in it, he does not. How is trust like this developed? In our daily times with him, discovering his truth within the Word of God, and in times of listening. One of our greatest challenges can be in choosing to listen to what he says about our past and what our past continues to tell us about ourselves within our memories. Just sayin!

In the past...

But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. In the past you had never received mercy, but now you have received God’s mercy. (I Peter 2:9-10)

A chosen people - chosen for a purpose. The purpose? To tell the world about the wonderful acts of God - especially his 'action' of redemption. The 'righting' of the world through the grace we find in Christ Jesus. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all live in a 'dark place' without Christ. We make decisions that are self-directed, and we don't always make wise ones. With Christ at the center of our lives, we are called to live lives that reflect the light that comes when his grace enters our lives. That 'telling' is our role - but even the empowerment to 'tell' is given by God himself.

Scripture does much to point out the 'before and after' of life with God in control vs. life without him in control. Numerous examples are given of the 'with and without' experience. Either you have entered into his mercy, or you have not. There is no middle ground on that matter. Notice that there is also this 'past' and 'present' condition of heart that is referenced. The moment we receive grace, there is a past. The more we invite Christ into the present, the past is put behind us.

We are called - chosen to live a life where Christ is enthroned in the very center of it. Christ cannot be on the 'fringes' of our lives. That isn't where he belongs. As long as we attempt to keep him at the 'fringes', we will never know fully what grace has done for us. We only experience the depth and breadth of those actions of grace when he is at the center of our lives. If we want to see real and lasting change within our lives, it begins with the invitation to come to him. Then it continues on with us allowing him to be the center of our thoughts. As our thoughts begin to be affected by grace, all the rest of the stuff we find to be a part of the 'past life' will begin to drop away. Just sayin!

Let's get caught up

You have probably heard it said that the enemy of the present is our past. In other words, we fight battles with our past more frequently than we fight battles with our present - but we are fighting them in the "space" our present is supposed to occupy! Our "present" has a purpose, but we occupy it with the things from our "past" which still gnaw at us. I wonder just how much of the present we miss because we are so focused on the past? The only thing changeable is the present - the past is forever just that - past. Why then do we spend so much time focusing on it? One of the most common reasons we do this is the familiarity we have with our past – it is an easy place to drift into because it is a former “routine” for us. We hope by focusing on the past, we might just find something worthwhile there which can "benefit" our present. The issue with this is that most of what is in our past really brings us to the point of being overwhelmed in our present - because the past worries and sins coupled with the present worries and sins will give us way too much to deal with! Don't get me wrong - there are indeed benefits to dealing with some of the stuff in our past - like letting go of addictions. Yet, most of what is in our past only produces greater amounts of guilt when we bring those things into our present.

Now God, don’t hold out on me, don’t hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. (Psalm 40:11-12)

The problems of yesterday were "created" on a different "level" from where we are today. Trying to relate to them today will likely bring them into focus in a different light. This is how we deal with the past - we bring the things which trouble us from our past into a different light - a different "level" of maturity. We shouldn't try to deal with those things with that past "level" of maturity because we'd be frustrated if we did. This might just be why we continue to deal with the same old stuff over and over again - we never grow, never reach a new "level". How do we get past this level of immaturity so we can deal successfully with the stuff which needs to be finally and firmly put into the past and left there? God is the best one to help us identify what belongs truly in our past and what has a value or lesson for our present. When we don't take those things from our past to him to see if there is any relationship to our present, we miss that there are things from our past which God uses to improve our present and set us up for success in our future. Breaking bondage to a certain habit is a good example of this. The habit began in the past, was built in the past, and is ever-present in the here and now. When God begins to help us identify what led us into the place of bondage to that life-controlling habit, we begin to let go of those things in our past, focusing on the possibilities in our present, and setting our focus right for both the present and the future.

God has given us the resources TODAY to deal with what we did not deal with well in the PAST. Today's resources are based on things like our attentiveness to learning from the Word. As we live in the present, taking the Word we receive today, applying it to today's challenges, yesterday's worries and challenges may actually take on a different light. We are beginning to see them from a different "level". Our perspective changes when we focus on today and allow yesterday to no longer define us. When we allow God to take what he gives us today to the point of changing who we are today, we cannot help but see how he puts the stuff of our past into a "right perspective", as well. God wants to be our focus. Whenever we focus on the impossibilities of our past, we exclude him from our focus. We almost make our past our master instead of God. As long as we keep God in the center of our present, he will put our past into perspective. When we allow our past to master us, it makes it almost impossible for us to connect to the grace God extends to us. Grace is unmerited favor - we get what we don't deserve. Oftentimes, we let go of the past by embracing the grace we didn't deserve, but which was extended to us in his love. God puts the past into the past - his focus is not on what we've done, but on what we are doing. He gives us grace sufficient to "deal" with our past - but it is silly for us to keep seeking grace for what he has already declared to be "erased".

Changing our today doesn't always mean we have to change our yesterday. We allow yesterday to be put into right perspective - grace erasing what we could not. We are limited by what we focus on in our past - it affects who we are. God's hope for us is to live in the present, disallowing the "limitations" of our past to affect our present. We will always be limited by our past - but we can live in limitless grace and hope as long as we keep our focus clearly in the present. Just sayin!

It is over

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Are you in 'union' with Christ? If so, you got a fresh start - the past has been erased. Before you roll your eyes on that one, let me assure you I know being totally free of our past it is easier said than done. In the eyes of Jesus, it is a done deal. In our eyes, and more importantly, in our memories, it is a much harder leap of faith to let go of the past. It kind of 'lingers' and holds onto us like some 'blood-sucking' creature from the lagoon. The truth we must rely upon is that the 'relationship' we have with our past is 'settled'. It isn't there to haunt us any longer because God settled any debt owed. We are no longer 'bound' to our past - but we have to convince our minds to let go of what no longer holds us in bondage. 

What does the word 'settled' actually entail? According to my dictionary, it means something is 'fixed or established, unlikely to change'. I have to ask - does holding onto the past allow us to do anything good with our present? It is highly unlikely. All it does is cloud the view we have of our present and keep us from even thinking about the future. When something is 'settled', it is ENDED. The relationship we have with our past has been determined as 'done and over'. If God sees it that way, then perhaps our best tact to take is to ask him to help us see it as he sees it. At first, it will not seem like much changes when we pray this prayer, but as we keep praying it, God begins to help us focus less and less on the past and more and more on the future.

As I went through my divorce, all I could see was the 'stuff' or 'baggage' from that relationship that I didn't really want to see any longer. I had 'bad feelings', and those feelings 'tainted' everything around me. I needed a clean break, but didn't know how to be free of those feelings, much less the sense of failure and lack of hope the end of that relationship left me with. The more I committed it to God, the less I seemed to focus on the things that left me feeling so 'tainted'. It took a good couple of years before I actually began to walk free from those ugly feelings, but in time there was little to no pull to look back at that ugly place. I had allowed God to settle it inside me - to help me break free of the rejection, distrust, and anger. 

The past isn't always the easiest to let go of - the present is always the easiest to embrace. That said, our past is settled - it is a done deal. God took all of it into his court and removed any hold that past can have over us today. The break we need may not be that far away - it might just be we need to ask, keep asking, and then allow God to help us see the past has ENDED and the present is begun. Just sayin!

Yesterday versus Today

He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “He’s just a carpenter—Mary’s boy. We’ve known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?” They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further. (Mark 6:1-6)

To form a perception beforehand as a result of previously held or known information is not always the smartest thing we can do in life. Some of us have a tendency to gravitate toward what we "know" about a person, forming an opinion of that person based on the small number of facts we have already ascertained, but neglecting to dig any deeper or try any harder to get to know much about them. The problem with this is the limitation in what it is we know about that individual. We likely have some facts, but we really don't get beyond those "facts" to consider the "rest of the story". Jesus found himself in that predicament on this day. He returns to his hometown - the folks who should know him best are all gathered around. He spends time teaching on the Sabbath - probably preaching a good lesson to boot. We even hear that he "made a real hit" with his friends and associates - impressing everyone who heard his teaching. Just as quickly as they were "impressed" by what they heard, they become just as "unimpressed" with him because they recount what it is they "know" about him. They belittle his ability to teach because he was merely a carpenter in their eyes - a commoner of the times, not a revered religious leader. The truth be told, we do the same type of 'belittling' of each other because we have limited knowledge of someone's past behavior, responses, or the like. They could be changed people today, but we continue to base our "impression" of them on what it is we "know" about their past.

What does this do? It causes us to "trip over what LITTLE we know" about the individual - never getting any further in the relationship. The issue is not the other person - it is us. We are the ones tripping and it is over what "little" we actually know. We base our judgments on a fraction of the evidence - what we immediately see. The term "preconceive" is really made up of two roots. "Pre" speaks to us of something occurring "before" or "prior to". "Conceive" speaks to us of "forming". We are "forming" opinions prior to getting the whole truth. We sometimes do this with ourselves! We look in the mirror, remember the old self, and forget about the many new "facets" of beauty God has already worked out in our lives. We see what our mind tells us to see. This is often true in our relationships with others - we see what our mind tells us we are seeing. If we have been hurt in the past, we find it difficult to not recall the hurt today. The part of this passage I want us to see this morning is the "little" they knew about Jesus and how this "little" caused them to not be able to get beyond that point. They knew "of" his family. They knew "of" his past job - a carpenter. They knew "of" his upbringing - under Mary's watchful eye. Yet, they really did not know Jesus - the Son of God.

What we find when we look deeper than what we know "of" somebody's background, reputation, or past performance might actually surprise us. If we get beyond that immediate knowledge, we might actually find ourselves face-to-face with someone who really blesses our lives. When we focus on what know of an individual, we are linking what we perceive with the actual identity of the individual. Identity is an evolving thing - we come from certain backgrounds, but we are always evolving as we are exposed to new things. Sure, we have the background of those things we are known for - our reputation does indeed precede us. Yet, if we begin to allow Jesus to be our mirror instead of that shiny piece of glass in our bathroom, I wonder how differently we might just see ourselves and others. When we allow Jesus to reflect back what he sees in us and those around us, we might just find the "little" we know "of" another is really not how that individual is today. It would be a shame to stop at what we know "of" an individual and ourselves when what we are today is not the same as what we were then! Just sayin!

Three, but two

Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future. William Wordsworth
Life is indeed past, present, and future - what have you been doing with each of these parts, my friends? Some of us hold on so very tightly to the past, not willing to let it go, thinking we may somehow be able to change what has been. Others live so fully in the present, all the while forgetting the future will have demands of us we need to prepare for somehow. Very rarely do we get this past, present, and future thing down well in our lives, but when we do, what an amazing thing it is!

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG)

Who are we really? Many times we feel as though our past has left indelible evidence of some things we find it impossible to believe we could be free of in the present. It is as though those mistakes of the past have been woven into the fibers of who or what we are today. Did you ever stop to think through a few miracles recorded for us in the pages of the Bible? There is much to be said of the way it was and the way it is now. For example, think of the woman with the issue of blood. She was the woman with the issue - unclean by the standards set out by the Law of Moses, plagued with some form of debilitation from the unceasing flow of blood. She became the woman healed and whole! No longer defined as the unclean, but as the clean and whole. 

Why do we let our past define our present? The blind man saw again - no longer blind, he wasn't defined by his 'previous condition', but by his present one! He was a man with sight! Lazarus wasn't the corpse any longer - he was the brother of Mary and Martha, head of the household, and dear friend of Jesus. Paul was not longer the prosecutor of the Christian believers - his past was gone and his present differed by leaps and bounds. Our present doesn't have to be our defining influence. It doesn't have to be how we view ourselves, nor how others view us. It can be left where it belongs because there is something quite different in the present by which God defines us - it is called grace.

The past may leave tell-tale reminders in our lives, like those scars created when we skinned our knees, bunged our noggins, or biffed it royally. The scars don't define us - the healing does! The scar is a reminder of a former way of living - of choices made - not of choices we continue to make! The fact is that Christ in us changes our present and sets up for the future. His eye isn't on our past, it is on what he is doing in us right now, in order that we will be prepared for what he has created for us well into our future. God is a past, present, and future God - but it isn't the past he focuses on as much as it is the present and future! Why should we be any different? Just askin!

Old history be gone!

I don't think there is anything more damaging to our overall sense of well-being than for us to continually rehearse the 'bad stuff' in life. The 'stuff' may have happened TO us, or we may have been the ones to have DONE it. Regardless, to continually go over and over all that "old history" is really not all that productive and it might actually be the cause of why we aren't moving forward right now! There is something much more powerful in 'being present' in the moment - to be focused on what it is we can take control of within ourselves, then turning the rest over to God to let him have the reins in our lives. 

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands." (Isaiah 43:18 MSG)

To forget about what's happened one must be willing to let go of both 'hurts' done to us and those things that aren't doing us any good to hold onto, like all those hang-ups we continually make excuses to ourselves and others about instead of dealing with them. I know this is easier said than done, for I also have struggled with holding onto hang-ups God has asked me to put down. It may have been my stubbornness or simply my inability to trust things will ever 'get better' if I did put them down. To let go I had to yield where I had been unyielding, and go 'all in' where I had been lacking in trust. It isn't that I didn't know what to do - it is that I had to be willing to live in the present, allowing God to change my present, instead of me holding onto my past!

"Old history" - we all have it. We all deal with it differently. We all have those moments when we resort back to some old way of thinking - falling back on what happened instead of focusing on what is happening now. We miss what is happening now if we do! We close our eyes to God's presence in our lives - we only see the impossibilities - but where he is, there are infinite possibilities. Desert places aren't easily traversed, are they? Why? There are obstacles in the way. The dry places we experience there make the journey even harder. Isn't it good to know that God is in the business of clearing the way and providing for us to be refreshed along the way?

Be alert and be present. Actions are described there, my friends. Most of the problems we have with our 'old history' is that we have been unable to take some action we have been asked to take at some point along the way. We were supposed to seek forgiveness from one we wronged, but we didn't. We were asked to lay something down, but we stubbornly held on. We were called to go above and beyond, but we simply stood still and let life happen around us. Be alert - pay attention, get focused, and be prepared for action. Be present - take notice, and be real. Being present means we are willing to be 'genuine' about ourselves - admitting where we have failed, owning our next steps, and then taking the action required.

The more we focus on the 'old history' portion of our lives, the more we get mired down by that history. The moment we come into the present, we open ourselves to being transparent, real, and truthful with ourselves, God, and others. This is the starting place for moving out of the 'old history' portion of our lives and into the 'new places' God is about to bring us into by his grace. Just sayin!

Let the past launch you into the future!

"One faces the future with one's past." Pearl S. Buck

The other day the hospice nurse was chatting with mom. They were talking about how mom feels like she is sometimes a burden - something I think most parents feel when they become a little more dependent upon their children for their daily needs. As they chatted, the nurse kindly reminded mom that I appeared to be very happy doing what it takes to keep her safe and well-cared for, then she said that maybe it was my turn to repay mom for the many times I may have been a handful for her in my younger days. While she didn't know me as a kid, she certainly had me 'pegged'! I did my share of things that put mom and dad through heartache and the simple acts I perform today to keep mom safe and well are nothing compared to those times! We all have those 'tales from the past' we'd rather like to keep hidden from view - things we are neither proud of, nor very appealing to onlookers. Yet, they are the very things that actually can launch us into greater things in our present and into our future!

The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-24 MSG)

This mess we get ourselves into isn't a hole we cannot escape - it is a launching pad for us into realms of grace when God does the launching! Realms of grace that we come to fully know as we are fully known and loved by him each and everyday. He fully knows us - like no other can. His grace is able to help us face our future, not based upon our past reputation and performance, but on his present ample influx of grace in our lives. It is an exchanged life - the past doesn't hold us down when it is placed in his hands - it launches us into new heights of grace-filled living.

I often go back to this very passage from Romans to re-read it - not because I don't believe it - but because I sometimes need reminders that grace HAS DONE the work in my life (and yours). The work is done - the past is just that - and the future is what I need to focus on today (not the past bumblings of my life). The impossible has happened - what I could not do for myself - getting past my past - has happened by sheer and utter grace. While I don't always forget I have a past, I no longer dwell upon it as the present reality of who I am today! I am a new creation (and so are you) - as such, we don't act upon the past, but use it as a catapult to push us into the newness of our present grace-filled life!

It was Pearl Buck who reminded us: "Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members." It isn't my past guilt that 'makes me' do the things I do for mom, but my present love of her made deeper and deeper with each passing year. In fact, the tasks may be hard at times and even become a little taxing on both strength and stamina, but they are rewarded by the even greater return of her love. We aren't bound by our past, but we can allow the experiences of our past to build into our lives a great love for the things we come to value as 'the best' in life! The moments mom poured love into my life when I was far from deserving of her love and grace only pointed out to me how God loves each of us. Grace returned for actions far from deserving of grace! That is how God operates  --  and he wants us each to realize he loved us in our 'past', and continues to love us in our present, preparing to love us in an ever-deepening manner into our future! Just sayin!

Passport stamped?

A few years after my dad passed, I was feeling a little nostalgic and I decided to go looking for our first home in Arizona. Mind you, the home was built probably somewhere in the 1940-1950 range, and we all know how things change over time. Trees get bigger, neighborhoods morph from one look and feel into another, and what may have been a 'majestic mansion' when we were little kiddos is not always the same when we return to it some 30-40 years later! I eventually found the street I was seeking, now almost unrecognizable because of the transformation of the surrounding neighborhoods. I recall knowing quite clearly the house was the second on the right, so down the lane I went and there it was, but...what a different scene than the one I remembered or imagined! The gnarled mulberry tree was there, but the branches were all cut off and it no longer spread out over the corner of the yard. The once whitewashed fence still stood, but the faded appearance told me keeping it whitewashed each year was no longer a concern of the owners. What once stood as a palatial mansion now appeared as a small, once quite quaint home. Weathered and worn, it no longer 'shown out' as the once beautiful home it was at one time. A friend once told me we can never really return home, but I didn't quite understand that advice until I stood there gazing upon my one-time family home. The thing I'd have was the memories because the present state offered no such comfort!

So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! (Romans 6:1-3 MSG)

We might think we can 'go back' to a former way of living, for just a moment in time, just for a quick little jaunt into the past. The truth is that the past is never the same as it was when we were living it! The past changes, if not in size, importance, and appearance, then in what it is we see when we come face-to-face with it again. It is an 'old country' to us - one we left behind in pursuit of another when we said "yes" to Jesus. We actually forsook that country and embraced another - not as immigrants, but as citizens who enjoy new rights, privileges, and passages. We might believe the past still has good stuff for us, but in that 'former life' are none of these 'good things' God has prepared for us to enjoy in this new one!

When I was just starting elementary school, we packed up and left that home in North Phoenix, making our way out to the very furthest point of the East Valley. The places were miles and miles apart - especially in the eyes of a child. The journey seemed long and a little bit frightening, but in truth, the new became the 'new norm' for me. Something similar happens when we come to Christ, welcoming him into our lives as more than a religious pursuit, but as one we desire close, personal relationship with. We begin to experience a 'new norm' - what once held fascination and great appeal is likely to fade more and more into the 'background' of our lives (the past). The past is indeed 'background' for our lives - no experience ever being totally without some meaning to us. Yet, we are not called to live in the 'background' of life - we are called to live in the present!

I could no more go back to living in that old family dwelling as I could go back to living a life without Christ. That boat has sailed! Those doors are closed! That old life is not my present one! The new life in a new land was prepared specifically for us - we don't need that one in the old land! There is something liberating about being able to break those ties with the past, my friends. But...there is equally something quite liberating about learning to look forward and turn our backs on what we imagine the past could offer us. The more we yearn for the past, the more we are discontent with the present, but the problem is that the present offers way different things for us than the past ever could. Way different things that make the old way of living look run-down, no longer showing signs of being tended and cared for. 

We don't 'go back' - we look and move forward. The life with Christ isn't lived one moment in the present and another in the past. Once we take that step into the new country of grace, we don't even want to look back at the old country of sin. There is nothing there that will ever satisfy us quite the same as what we find when we turn our eyes fully toward Jesus. Yes, the past still stands in our memories, but little by little, the past becomes less and less appealing to us. Maybe we need a little look into our past once in a while to see it is no longer all that appealing, but it doesn't mean we return to it - pursuing the stuff of the past! It just means we allow Jesus to make real to us where it is he has delivered us from - the past is a country no longer marked on our passport as 'home' - we are citizens of the country of grace, not sin! Just sayin!

No guarantee here

Never brag about what you will do in the future; you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. (Proverbs 27:1 ERV)

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." (Melody Beattie) 

None of us is ever guaranteed a "tomorrow" - we all have today and can do the best with today as is possible. We allow all kinds of things keep us from enjoying our "today" - including the issues of our past or the constant focus on what it is we might accomplish tomorrow. I am no different, here, for there are times when I get so "future focused" so as to miss what is right in front of me. The sad truth is that there is absolutely no guarantee there will even be that "tomorrow" I spent so much time planning for! What a shame to miss out on so much because we are not able to see what is right in front of us!

For many, their lives were changed the day the towers came down in New York. Others would never be the same because of some school shooting, rampage in some mall, or being at a concert enjoying some time with friends. None of these people woke up one morning and expected their end, or their maiming. No soldier sent off to war expects to return with body parts missing from some explosive device cleverly put in his or her path. These are not things we "plan for" in life, but they come our way, often without any real purpose or warning. The best we can do is let go of the past, focus on today with all the effort we can dedicate to it, and be cognizant of the steps we should take to be as ready as possible for tomorrow.

Today is our challenge. Yesterday may have left us with a bit of guilt over what wasn't accomplished, or how some encounter didn't go as we planned. Today is where we can start afresh with whatever it is we need to take care of in order to be rid of guilt, restored in right relationship with God and each other, and to be living with intent (purpose). We must learn to be people who make "today" our focal point and then invest wisely in the opportunities that today may afford us. They could be opportunities for relationship - those that will be discovered, made right, or set aglow in a freshness that comes from just being together and focused on each other. They could be opportunities to learn something new, or remember something learned long ago, then pass that learning onto another.

Today is what we can make the best use of, isn't it? Tomorrow may involve a little planning, but to be hyper-focused on tomorrow while losing sight of today is to be a little too tunnel-visioned. Just sayin!

The past has no cure

I have carried you since you left your mother’s womb. I carried you when you were born, and I will still be carrying you when you are old. Your hair will turn gray, and I will still carry you. I made you, and I will carry you to safety. (Isaiah 46:3-4 ERV)

There are times we just need to be reminded of God's faithfulness toward each of us - today may be one of those times for some of us. Regardless of what you are going through, if you look hard enough, you might just realize that God is the one who has been carrying you for quite some time! From moment to moment, we may forget who is at work in our lives, believing God has abandoned us on occasion simply because things get a little tougher than we would have wanted. Whenever we get to feeling like we are abandoned, we just need to look to our Creator - for the one who creates will never abandon his creation.

It was Elizabeth the First who said the past could not be cured. Too many times we go about our day's efforts trying to improve upon (or cure) what yesterday brought our way. What is past is past - what we are left with is sometimes a little bit of the aftermath of the past, but we cannot ever change the past. What we can allow to happen is for God to change us in our present so our past mishaps and misgivings don't have to be repeated. The past may not be cured, but it sure can be repeated, can't it?

The seasons of the past that weren't all that great give each of us moments of grief because we would have done things differently if we only knew the outcome was going to be what it turned out to be. We wouldn't have spoken those words that cut to the quick. We wouldn't have allowed the distance to come that is now like a cavernous abyss we see no way of crossing. We wouldn't have chosen that route of downward compromise. Those choices were made, but today's choices remain to be made. What we focus on is not the ones we made in the past, but the ones we can make in our present.

Choices made incorrectly in the past haunt us in the present and make choices today harder because we may fear repeating them or really don't know what choices will yield different results. This is when we lean into Jesus' care over our lives just a little bit harder. We stop doubting his provision and start trusting him to help us do things differently - making better choices today, not so much to cure the past, but to improve the present and make way for the future. Just sayin!

The past's place

It was Alfred Lord Tennyson who said, "Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers." He also said, "Tis not too late to seek a newer world." With all that is going on in our world today, wouldn't it be grand to seek a "newer world"? We may want to escape just a little of the present in hopes of finding a little bit better of a future - but what we have in the present cannot be ignored. We must deal with the present conflict and sorrow in order to really see change. This is a premise to change - sometimes sorrow leads us to make changes we might not ever see as necessary apart from that sorrow. As Tennyson alluded - wisdom is what lingers once the sorrow has produced the work of turning knowledge into life-change.

10 The kind of sorrow God wants makes people decide to change their lives. This leads them to salvation, and we cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has will bring death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 ERV)

The Corinthian church was pretty upset over some letters they had received from the Apostle Paul, reminding them that they could not tolerate certain unholy practices within their community of believers. It seemed there were some practices just being "tolerated" - a "blind eye" being turned to them even though there was a sense or niggling these practices might just be "wrong". It can be more common than we might first imagine that we "overlook" certain things, knowing full-well they are not "holy" or "right", but for whatever reason, we tolerate them in our midst anyway. Sometimes it is "tolerated" because it makes up part of our "history". At others, it may be overlooked because it doesn't "seem to be that big of a deal". At some point, everything tolerated or overlooked has the potential to become a bigger influence in our lives than we might have imagined!

As these things might come to the surface, God isn't after us to just allow them to remain - he is asking for us to be open to the potential we might just need to deal with them - change won't happen until we do! I have said it before, but it bears repeating because I think this is a tough one for us to learn - change is inevitable, but it is also quite hard at times. Change might just mean we have deal with a little sorrow - the kind of sorrow that drives us to embrace what is not right and then deal with it once and for all (or better yet, we allow God, through his Holy Spirit, to deal with it).

Could it just be possible what some have tolerated for so long as part of their "history" might need some focus right now? History is not always "well-written", nor was it "well-rehearsed". History is what it is - sometimes good and sometimes bad. What is good, we should embrace. What isn't, we should allow God to deal with - using that sorrow as a means by which we might come to the place of embracing holiness in place of what is not. Just sayin!

Past invading your Present?

Someone once told me the enemy of the present is our past.  In other words, we fight battles with our past more frequently than we fight battles with our present - but we do it in the "space" our present is suppose to occupy!  Chew on this one a little.  Our "present" has a purpose, but we occupy it with the things from our "past" which still gnaw at us.  I wonder just how much of the present we miss because we are so focused on the past?  The only thing changeable is the present - the past is forever just that - past.  Why then do we spend so much time focusing on it?  

Now God, don’t hold out on me, don’t hold back your passion.  Your love and truth are all that keeps me together.  When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.  (Psalm 40:11-12 MSG)

There are many reasons we are drawn into focusing on the past so frequently.  Probably the most common is the familiarity we have with our past – it is an easy place to drift into because it had been a former “routine” for us.  We hope by focusing on the past, we might just find something worthwhile there which can "benefit" our present.  The only issue with this is the fact most of what is in our past really brings us to the point of being overwhelmed in our present - because the past worries and sins coupled with the present worries and sins will give us way too much to deal with!  Don't get me wrong - there are indeed benefits to dealing with some of the stuff in our past - like letting go of addictions.  Yet, most of what is in our past only produces greater amounts of guilt when we bring those things into our present.

Here's something we need to get our hands around - the problems of yesterday were "created" on a different "level" from where we are today. Trying to relate to them today will likely bring them into focus in a different light.  This is how we deal with the past - we bring the things which trouble us from our past into a different light - a different "level" of maturity.  We don't try to deal with those things with the same "level" of maturity - we'd be frustrated if we did.  This might just be why we continue to deal with the same old stuff over and over again - we never grow, never reach a new "level".

So, how do we get past this level of immaturity which keeps us focused on the past, but without the "resources" to deal successfully with the stuff which needs to be finally and firmly put into the past and left there?  There are probably a couple of things we have to realize:

1.  God is the best one to help us identify what belongs truly in our past and what has a value or lesson for our present.  When we don't take those things from our past to him to see if there is any relationship to our present, we miss out on this important piece.  There are things from our past which God uses to improve our present and set us up for success in our future.  Breaking bondage to a certain habit is a good example of this.  The habit began in the past, built in the past, and is ever-present in the here and now.  When God begins to help us identify what lead us into the place of bondage to that life-controlling habit, we begin to let go of those things in our past, focusing on the possibilities in our present, and setting our focus right.

2.  God has given us the resources TODAY to deal with what we did not deal with well in the PAST.  Today's resources are based on things like our attentiveness to learning from the Word.  As we live in the present, taking the Word we receive today, applying it to today's challenges, yesterday's worries and challenges may actually take on a different light.  We are beginning to see them from a different "level".  Our perspective changes when we focus on today and allow yesterday to no longer define us.  When we allow God to take what he gives us today to the point of changing who we are today, we cannot help but see how he puts the stuff of our past into a "right perspective", as well.

3.  God wants to be our focus.  Whenever we focus on the impossibilities of our past, we exclude him from our focus.  We almost make our past our master instead of God.  As long as we keep God in the center of our present, he will put our past into perspective.  When we allow our past to master us, it makes it almost impossible for us to connect to the grace of God he extends to us.  Grace is unmerited favor - we get what we don't deserve.  Oftentimes, we let go of the past by embracing the grace we didn't deserve, but which was extended to us in his love.  We have a great deal of difficulty with this one as long as we want to bring the past into our present - because God puts the past into the past - his focus is not on what we've done, but on what we are doing.  He gives us grace sufficient to "deal" with our past - but it is silly for us to keep seeking grace for what he has already declared to be "erased".  

One word before we close today - changing our today doesn't always mean we have to change our yesterday.  We allow yesterday to be put into right perspective - grace erasing what we could not.  We are limited by what we focus on in our past - it affects who we are.  God's hope for us is to live in the present, disallowing the "limitations" of our past to affect our present.  We will always be limited by our past - but we can live in limitless grace and hope as long as we keep our focus clearly in the present.  Just sayin!

"IS"

Is:  To exist or live; to occupy a place or position; to continue or remain as before.  A small word, but it tells us much, doesn't it?  One that "is" really is one who exists and lives - occupying a placement or position unlike any other.  The most amazing part of the definition of "is" can be found in the last part - the concept of continuing or remaining as before - unchanged by what has come or what lies ahead.  This is the definition of the character of God - unchanged by what has been - what is today - or what will come in the future.  Solomon spends a great deal of time outlining all the accomplishments of a man on a quest - getting more of everything, living without restraint, not held back by anything.  He even tells us of his tremendous struggle with "accumulating" all (wisdom, houses, wives, lands, personal property - you name it).  It comes at a price - after all is said and done, time spent and body worn, nothing really all that satisfying emerges from the pursuit.  Then when it seems like he is going to really leave us with a "downer" in this book, he drops in little tidbits like the one below.

I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].  (Ecclesiastes 3:14 AMP)

Whatever God does - it endures.  Whatever he does is perfect - nothing can be added which will lend to its perfection, nothing can be taken from it which will leave it less than perfect.  Whatever God does, it is with the intention of capturing the attention of man's heart - so man might enter into relationship with the one who "is".  

The "whatever" of God - do we really understand it?  I doubt we do, for the "whatever" encompasses all he does - the full extent of his love, grace, peace, provision, and power.  Solomon says God "is" - he is continuing as before - he changes not.  If this doesn't give you hope, then I don't know what will for everything around us changes - except God.  

"Whatever" really means "no matter what".  Solomon is saying "no matter what God does - it endures".  I often use the expression, "Whatever!"  What I am really saying when I use it is that no matter the circumstances or choices, what will be will be.  Solomon was likely saying something quite similar - no matter the circumstances - God "IS".  He IS our ability to overcome.  He IS our refuge and strength.  He IS our hope and trust.  He IS all we need.

Knowing that he IS - Solomon comes to this conclusion for all man faces in life.  It is God's goal to show himself as continually present - constant in all circumstances - always faithful to his promises.  Now, this may not seem like much to you, but when we put this in perspective, we begin to see the truth of God occupying a placement in each of these circumstances - not just "present" to observe, but to be our "whatever" in the midst of them!  

Solomon concludes from all his life's events - seeking all that would promise satisfaction:  Nothing satisfies like the "whatever" of truly recognizing the one who IS.  When men come to a place of recognizing God as the one who existed before our circumstances overwhelmed us, present in the midst of the pressing storms, and ever-faithful to navigate us through the continual flux of the future, he determines a need for the one who will not change his position - he remains central in our lives no matter the circumstances.

I think it might help us to see another translation of this passage to put this all together:  I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. (MSG)  The thing God asks of us - trust the one who IS.  Stop asking questions and simply worship him (his consistency, his unchangeable character, his faithfulness).  Life deals us different hands at different stages - much like a game of cards.  One hand may seem quite good, allowing us to "score a few points".  Another may seem to "subtract" from the overall "score".  The truth is, life is not a game of chance like cards.  God IS - he has been in our past, he is in our present, and he will be in our future.  All these are "tenses" of "IS" - to have BEEN, IS, and BE.  If you don't get it by now - Solomon is really helping us disconnect from what will constantly change - amassed treasures, positions, etc.  He is pointing us toward the connection which will remain constant - humbly submitted to the one who IS.

Not sure where you stand today, but when I face the "whatever" of life, I want to know I am walking through it with the one who IS.  Just sayin!