Past, Present, Future

Philippians 3:13-14
Easy-to-Read Version

Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.

The Past.  We all have one.  And most of us spend a lifetime dealing with the "fall-out" of it.  The majority of us have things from our past that has hurt, traumatized, shamed or debilitated us in some way.  And we spend a lot of time trying to fix or cover it up.  This is what can make living in the present painful, and the thought of the future unbearable sometimes.

And unless you believe in time-travel, you will never be able to "fix" the past.  The things and experiences that happened before - already happened.  There's no changing them.  It is done.

However, this does not mean that there isn't a "fix."  It's just that the fix has to be applied to the present, which will automatically affect the future.  My belief is that the past should be dealt with and identified for what it is.  If there is a hurt or wound, however traumatic, the sooner it is identified as that, the better.

The past issues can be put into their place, to learn and grown from.  And once the place for "the past" has been identified, one can move on to the present.  It is possible to live triumphantly today.  As I read the scripture in Philippians, I see a choice, either live with regret and grief over the past, or reach for the goal before me.  I submit to the reader that they both take the same amount of energy - but take you to two completely different places.

The Past should be a limited part of our lives and put away.  Today can be lived free from the chains of it.  The future is still to be lived with the choice of direction.  Turn away from the past and choose your path towards the finish line.

P.S.  The author understands that this short post regarding the past may seem to minimize the path to the present and the future.  There is no minimizing trauma and wounds, nor the path through healing.  Healing from Jesus is the only way to fix how the past affects us.  And healing can be painful because of the growth that happens in the process.  But it is worth it. ♥

I Am Perfect

Matthew 5:48
KJV

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

I am perfect.  Yes, me.  The faulty, flawed, defective human that I am.  I am perfect.

I've spent the majority of my life trying so hard to be perfect, too.  And always feeling like a huge failure because, of course, just like most everyone else, I'm human.  Which means I have flaws and defects - real and perceived.  I look into my life and I see mistakes and wrong turns.  I look in the mirror and I see flaws.  How could I ever be perfect.

Having heard the scripture about being perfect like God is perfect, I have always felt like I was carrying around such a heavy load of hopelessness underneath my seemingly poor attempts at perfection.  Live like that for too long and you start feeling like maybe your walk with God is a façade.  Maybe everyone else has figured out how to be perfect while you do your best to "fake it 'til you make it." 

Well, not all that long ago, God used the little e-Sword app on my phone to speak to me about this perfection thing.  It was a simple tapping on the reference number next to the word perfect.  The original Greek word is teleios, which basically means complete.  Complete. 

Complete.  Let that sink in for a moment. 

It's almost like God was saying to me - don't worry, I just want to be your everything, and if I am, you are perfect...complete in Me.  That huge weight of hopelessness fell off my shoulders as my understanding became complete...perfect. 

In Colossians 2:10 it says that we are "complete in Him."  Interestingly enough, my e-Sword app says the word complete here also means perfect.  I need no further convincing of my own perfection.  I do know who I am in Jesus.  I am His and He is mine.  I am complete in Him.  I am perfect.

Voice of Truth

1 John 4:18
Amplified Bible

¹⁸ There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].

I am going to try to keep it short and simple.  We all grow up hearing a lot of voices.  Whether it be parental, religious, or of the world - we hear them all.  Some are good, some are not.  But altogether, they form the things we listen to in our own heads. 

As we become adults, sometimes it is hard to sort through all the voices and hear truth. 

The truth is, God is love.  The truth is He is full of mercy.  The truth is He is kind.  The truth is He looks at us differently than we look at ourselves.  The truth is He looks at us differently then the person next to us.  The truth is if we are living in fear of people, God, etc., then we do not understand God's love for us. 

Listen to the voice of truth.  Turn it up and let it drown out all the other voices.

Stay on the Path

Proverbs 3:5-6
New Living Translation

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

 

Another passage of Scripture that most of us know by heart.  To the point where we spout it off like it's so easy to do.  Like there's no need to worry about a thing, because God is going to direct our path...

 

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, although most who read this post will most likely relate - it's not easy.  Even as we trust in God and submit to His will...the "path" of life can have a lot of bumps, ruts, weeds, blind corners, boulders, and any other description of things that makes it hard to traverse. 

 

In meditating on this a little, I realized that when I have thought about how I try to follow the advice of these scriptures, I kind of make the assumption that it's going to make my life easier, and the obstacles smaller.  Then I thought about how that does not always seem to happen, I still face the obstacles and things that seem to hinder my progress - even though I am trusting God with my life!  What?

 

Then God reminded me of how my own personal growth has almost always come out of the hard times in life.  Aren't those the times we hit our knees and draw closer to God?  So, when we are traveling our path, the one shown to us by God, and it's bumpy and rough, and we wonder if we can make it though - don't try to find the easier way - find God, and let him draw you closer.  If we do that, that is when the growth in ourselves happens, and the boulders become pebbles, the weeds bloom, and the blind corners get straightened out. 

It's Messy

Isaiah 53:5
New Century Version

⁵ But he was wounded for the wrong we did;
    he was crushed for the evil we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him,
    and we are healed because of his wounds.

 

Forgiveness.  It is such a gargantuan word at times.  I have sometimes wondered why it can be so hard to do and feel!  In the archives of this blog, I have more than once expressed my struggle with forgiving and loving those whom I have felt hurt by.  It goes against the grain (aka human nature) to forgive.  It really doesn't make a lot of sense most of the time. 

 

I would say that our innate desire to protect and preserve ourselves is the reason forgiveness can be so hard, sometimes seeming completely impossible.  It takes humility to forgive, because it means we have to let go of our justified feelings or perspective.  And that can hurt like crazy - I know!

 

When Jesus came to earth, gave Himself on the cross because of our sins, when He took the punishment we deserved, He was extended to all of us forgiveness, in anticipation that we would need it!  Now, rewind in your mind to the cross itself.  This is where He did what He needed to do so that we can at any time, any place, any reason, ask Him to forgive us.  The cross was messy.  He had to humble Himself.  It was a bloody, gory, painful, uncomfortable, an "against the grain" thing to do.  Yet He did it because He was looking way ahead in time, even at me, and saw that I would need it, and He wanted a relationship with me - and you.  So, He paid the cost.  He thought it was worth it.
 

When we forgive, it can be painful.  It is ultimately the laying down of our own selves - our feelings, our rights, our perspective - hurts just thinking about it, right?  We may not have to experience the cross in order to forgive, but we can understand that forgiveness comes with cost.  It's messy.  But it's worth it.

The Root of It All

Psalm 139:23-24
Good News Translation
 

²³ Examine me, O God, and know my mind;
    test me, and discover my thoughts.
²⁴ Find out if there is any evil in me
    and guide me in the everlasting way.

 

As a contemplative person by nature, this prayer of David's rings true for me.  It isn't always a pleasant pursuit - being searched and examined by God - however, I believe it is so necessary. 

 

This, like most of the Bible's guidelines and principles, does not come natural.  As humans, especially in today's culture and society, what is natural is to blame other's for our problems and shortcomings.  Taking responsibility and being accountable for one's actions and words doesn't seem to be the "norm."  The way of human nature (a.k.a. one's own will) is to pass on the responsibility to other people, to protect, at any costs, one's own feelings.  Generally, in my own experience and observations, this comes down to the main human nature problem - pride. 

 

If we are really, truly submitting to God's Word, we are choosing humility.  Then we can subject ourselves to His examination and testing.  Then He can point out the waywardness of our own selves and point us in the right direction.  But it only happens when we stop pointing the proud fingers of blame at other people. 

 

However painful the process, I know I need His searching, I want Him to put me on the everlasting way. 

Finding Yourself

James 1:23-25
New Life Version

²³ Anyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror. ²⁴ After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free.

In our crazy world, the message is to make yourself happy, look out for number one, do what feels right, be who you are, find yourself, etc.  These attitudes can even invade our churches - they are made up of people, after all. 

But the scripture referenced indicates that it is not about ourselves.  In fact, if you are "finding" yourself outside of the mirror of God's Word, you will be unhappy.  We need to use the Word of God as a mirror into our lives - find yourself in the Word let it change you - and be happy and free!