Looking back - thinking ahead - living now

Caught in Wash - Dry - Rinse - Repeat


It often feels like everything in our lives demands our attention. We are constantly in a flux of self-doubt or self-conceit and the smallest circumstance pulls us deeper in both extremes. Nostalgia plays a big part in the disappointment that we often feel about our lack of involvement or the winding down of excitement in our lives. Fear of the future is another point of contention that drains us of the courage and fortitude to make a sound and lasting impact in our respective communities. There is a better way, we were made for “more than living”. 

There are plenty of things in my past I’m not proud of and there are even more lost opportunities than I can count, but if I allowed those things to dictate my destiny I would accomplish nothing from here on out. In the same way, dread of not accomplishing anything worthwhile hinders my ability to function accordingly in the immediate.

So what do we do?

We consider all things in the past gone, the only thing the past provides is perspective; everyday is different and poses new challenges so what could we possibly gain from filling ourselves with sorrow over things that are “over”. I’m not saying get over it because that is shallow, simplistic, and in a lot of cases not the best answer. Don’t “get over it”, but allow it to be over. Confront it, let it settle, recognize that the past is a part of you but it isn’t all of you unless you allow it to be.

In the same way we must step into the present with fresh eyes; recognize there is no ideal future we can plan for. It doesn’t exist, there are only the decisions we make right now. I’m always interested in the promises that people make to God because they often involve things that we have little to no control over. Behavior is not entirely under our jurisdiction it’s more a matter of self-release than self-control.

Allow God to be God and have jurisdiction over the past where he works, the future he has prepared and the right now where he draws you into relationship with his Spirit.