LEFT BEHIND

I have a closet filled with family portraits.  The family no longer looks like this---those pictures are from the past.  What does God intend for me to do with my past?  It all happened--it is a part of who I am, but trying to decide what I should do with those portraits or any other remnant-physical or not-is a tough 

question.




LEARN FROM IT-All things can work for good for those that love The Lord.  Allow Him to use our past to teach us, admonish us, correct us, remind us of Who He is. What is that old saying, "Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me."  Learn from your experiences.  I have learned I will survive the unsurvivable--because He stands with me. Death is a part of life---we will loose those we love dearly.  We will survive.  God is teaching us in every difficult circumstance---He will stand by our side and help us survive. The true identity of God begins to dawn on us when we suffer.   The good---shows us the undeserved blessings which are heaped upon us --and gives us hope for more to come.   Life is filled with lessons as we walk the path---learn from each and every day and carry the truth you learn into tomorrow.

MAKE PEACE WITH IT- One of the most important lessons from my past few years has been not to allow what has happened to control me by wasting energy on the "What if's".  What has happened in our past has happened.  There is not one thing we can do to change what has already occurred.  Accept what has happened and do not dwell on it.  Just as love is a choice, so is forgiveness--choose to forgive and leave behind the negatives and instead begin looking for the positives in today. We cannot control how others treat us, but we can control our reaction to their treatment.  We always come out on top when we choose to forgive.  Make peace with what has happened and leave it behind you where it belongs---in the history book.

LEAVE IT IN THE PAST-The past is just that--past.  Yes it played an intricate role in making me the person I am today.  Yes--it really happened and though my memories of the past may differ from others, they are my perception of what has happened.  Allowing myself to become mired down in the memory of the past will keep me from living in the today.  To allow myself to become so entrenched in the yesterdays is not God's intention.  The past can create a cesspool of depression, anger, hatred, envy and all the other negatives which we become so mired down in that we forget to live in the today and to look to the future.  Even those moments of great joy--great accomplishment--great elation--can hinder our walk in the present if we refuse to leave those glory days and allow them to become idols of what was and could never be again.


The Word is filled with lessons from the past.  The past is a great teacher.  Learn from it, make peace with it, and leave it in the past.  What has been--has been and there is no changing it--but instead live in the moment and be thankful for the blessing of today.

"Do not call to mind the former things,
or ponder things of the past."
Isaiah 43:18

7 comments

  1. Amen, friend...thank you for such a beautiful post...have a lovely day, Lulu.

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  2. I love ancestor pictures!

    Thank you for sharing this honest look about how we can best deal with our past ... and how we can best move ahead to all God has us to do and be ...

    Blessings to you, friend!

    ;-}

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  3. I've had to leave it (the abuse which resulted in the sadness, the mistakes, the anger, etc.) in the past too. Otherwise, I wouldn't get anything done because I'd be on anti-depressants! Christ can ease the pain if one just looks at what He suffered. Surely my "cross" is light compared to His. This has been a worthwhile, thought provoking post.
    Hope you have a blessed day. ~:)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, our suffering does not begin to compare to His!
      Blessings, My Friend!

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  4. Great post once again, Lulu. Thanx.

    There once was skunk walking in the forest when the wind direction suddenly changed. He stopped and thought "Ah ... it all comes back to me now."

    Which leads me to one of my favourite sayings "Don't let the bad smell from your past catch up with you!"

    I often quote myself in conversations. It adds that extra je ne sais quoi!

    God bless.

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Your comments keep my writing and often cause me to think. A written form of a hug or a pat on the back and an occasional slap into reality---I treasure them all!