Do you realize that you have “time zones” in
your mind? Although you live only in the
present, your mind can drift to another time zone—either to the past or to the
future. Paul said, "One thing I do: 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" (Phil. 3:13-14).
THE “PAST TIME ZONE”
The past does not
exist anymore, except in your memory. I
grew up in New Orleans and in my mind I can see myself walking through all the
rooms in that house. In 2005 that house was
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The
house doesn't exist anymore—but it’s still there in my memory. In reality
that house is gone but in my imaginations,
I can still go there—if I choose to think about it.
In the same way, your past doesn't exist
anymore, but in your imaginations you can still go there. It’s not wrong to briefly
visit the past to reminisce about good memories, which can make you thankful. But far more people climb into their mental
time machine and travel to the past time zone to think about the horrible
memories in the past. If you dwell on your
hurtful past, you will become bitter, or will feel guilty, or will sink into
depression, or will fume in anger. Calling up bad memories will affect your
mental and spiritual health in the present.
LETTING GO OF YOUR
PAST
Just like you can hold on to things with your
hands, you can also hold on to things with your spirit. To let go of the past,
you must let go of what your heart is holding on to.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your
life and still feel guilty about
past sins, trust this verse: “He made you alive together with Him, having
forgiven us all our transgressions” (Col.
2:13).
If you
were hurt by someone in your past, you must forgive and let go. “Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving one another, just at God also forgave you in Christ” (Eph. 4:32).
If you
regret something you did or didn’t do in your past, remember that God will
accept you in your present situation and lead you from where you are right now
if you will surrender to Him. “We know
that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Next time I’ll talk about the “Future Time
Zone.”
Coming in April 2013: Slaying Your Giants by Kent Crockett (Hendrickson
Publishers)
