Leaving the past behind is nice in theory but difficult to put into action, especially if the past has hurt you. The truth is that often we let the past influence our present. We say we’ve moved on, forgiven, forgotten, but we have only put aside, not even out of sight. So, all we need to do is glance over our shoulder and we see it, “oh yes”, there it is, what hurt me. There is that person, that pain, that particular injury...I remember. It takes work; through prayer, patience, awareness, apologies, and, mostly, practice to move forward and let the past be a distant memory.
As a parent, moving forward requires a great deal of faith. Fear, uncertainty, and past mistakes of both mine and my child, threaten to derail my faith. My need to shelter and protect can smother the tender person that I am desperately trying to grow. God must feel the same as He watches us. Struggling to find our way, battling to make choices and creating chaos in our own lives. Every day we fail in some ways; some big, some small. But in His infinite patience He lays the past aside, burying it under with the soil of certainty. He gives us the freedom to fail or succeed but also continues to have the faith in us to be who He knows we can be. Watching this whole process can be wild and wonderful, hurtful and harrowing but ultimately ending in overwhelming hope for the future, for us His children.
Written by Laura Rucker
No comments:
Post a Comment