Have you ever seen a runner who won a sprint race facing backward? You know the answer. Yet many people are fixated on their past failures, disappointments and even stigmas. Someone has said that the past is called the past because it’s the past. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn from the past, but learning from and accepting the past is not the same as being paralyzed by it.
In a sense, we should never build our future around the past. Author Mike Murdock points out this concept in the life of Jesus. “Jesus was born with a terrible stigma. His mother, Mary, was pregnant with Him before marrying Joseph, her betrothed. The Bible says that they had not had a sexual relationship, but “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Jesus never looked back. He never discussed the situation with anyone. There is not a single Scripture in the entire Bible where He ever mentioned His background or limitations.”
What’s our takeaway from how Jesus managed his past? If you have a past stigma or incident that is not essential or significant, take away its only power: your attention. You see, there is no future to living in the past. Learn from it, yes! Enjoy it, yes! Get stuck in it, no! The past is a guiding post, not a hitching post. Learn from the past so you can live in the present and emotionally prosper in the future…