“Bury the past. Forget it and move on.”
You’ve heard such statements before, right?
But, can you just shove the past behind you and walk away as if nothing happened? Without a shadow of it in your present or future?
Something worth thinking about!
So let’s process this together.
Think of actions and decisions you’ve taken years, months, days, and even hours and minutes before now… Are they simply stand-alone “happenings” that make no impact in your present?
The city you moved to, the job you picked up, the friends you have, books you read, courses you studied, your choice of a marriage partner, your spiritual inclination… you’ll agree with me they all build up to the present you – for good or for bad.
The Link Between Your Past, Present, and Future
Your day-to-day actions and decisions are like seeds… seeds planted in the soil, waiting to bear fruits in its time.
You can’t simply plant seeds in the past and wish the fruits of those seeds away. Just like any other plant, if you want it to die – if you don’t want the fruits from that seed to ripen and start dropping in your surroundings, then you must go back to those spots where you planted them and do something about it.
Here are 3 Ways To Stop Your Past From Stopping Your Future
1. Release the past hurt and fears
A lot of baggage from the past can weigh you down from marching forward.
John Obidi once shared how on 1st January 2015, he faced his biggest fight: Calling his father and reconciling with him after years of silence, due to some personal disagreement.
In his words, “In 2015, I experienced exponential growth financially and in my career.” At first, He attributed his success to consistency, self-motivation, Desire, etc.
But when he searched deeply, it dawned on him that that 1st January call… that step of reconciliation – facing his fears – did the magic.
It stretched him.
Your past may be lined with some fears, hurt, and pain that seem so deep or high to confront.
An abuse, a disappointment, a backstab, derogatory words that crushed your soul…and it hurts more when it’s from people you love.
Make today a day of RELEASE.
Call that person. Forgive and reconcile. And if it’s something you need to forgive yourself of, without necessarily calling another party, sit, and do that.
Some NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) activities can help you do that.
But that’s just on the human level… I’ll introduce you to someone who will help you get that needed transformation.
Hang on with me…
2. Repair your social timeline
In December 2020, a piece of news about Pablo Matera hit the internet.
Pablo Matera led Argentina to their first-ever win over the All Blacks… and shortly after, he got stripped of the Argentina rugby captaincy after historic racist tweets emerged.
In response to the trending reactions and disappointment, he said “At that time, I didn’t know what I was going to become. Today, I pay for what I said nine years ago.”
His past showed up.
The internet has a memory. And social media is good at digging up things you posted years ago, and have even forgotten.
Maybe that was the 1.0 version of yourself. Naive and uncautious. Now you’re in version 3.0… and still moving upwards – professionally, spiritually, socially, and in every other area of life. There’s a need to travel back your social media handles and do a thorough clean-up.
One young woman said she closed her social media handles after she got saved in 2012. Yes, she had followers, friends, and all that…
But she realized she needed to start afresh. When prospects from different parts of the world check you out on the internet, will they discover something that will make them withdraw?
Find out before they find it.
3. Reconcile with God
“For without me, he can do nothing.”
That is God speaking.
Your Past won’t be completely redeemed without reconciliation with God.
You’ll find yourself struggling and struggling, like the lady in this poem below… until you do what she did.
Read from her:
Once I held in my tightly clenched fists, ashes.
Ashes from a burn inflicted upon my six-year-old body.
Ashes I didn’t ask for. The scars were forced on me.
And for twenty-seven years the fires smouldered.
I kept my fist closed in secret, hating those ashes yet unwilling to release them.
Not sure if I should. Not convinced it was worth it.
Marring the things I touched and leaving black marks everywhere, or so it seemed.
I tried to undo it all. But the ashes were always there to remind me that I couldn’t. I
really couldn’t. But God could.
His sweet Holy Spirit spoke to my heart one night in tearful desperation.
He whispered, “I want to give you beauty for your ashes. The oil of joy for mourning.
And a garment of praise for your spirit of heaviness.”
I had never heard of such a trade as this! Beauty for ashes?
My sadly stained memory for the healing in His Word?
My soot-like dreams for His songs in the night?
My helpless and hurting emotions for His ever-constant peace?
How could I be so stubborn as to refuse an offer such as this?
So willingly, yet in slow motion, and yes while sobbing, I opened my bent fingers and let
the ashes drop to the ground.
I heard the wind blow them away, away from me forever.
I am now able to place my open hands gently around the fist of another hurting soul and
say with confidence,
“Let them go. There really is beauty beyond your comprehension. Go ahead, trust Him.
His beauty for your ashes.”
Yes, He can exchange the ashes of the past, for beauty in your present and future.
You may be done with the past, but the past May not be done with you. (Jennifer Dwight)
Dear friend, what step will you take today to stop your past from stopping your future?
