To Be Continued: The Past

Wish we could turn back time…

The past. In my mind, I couldn’t write a series called “To Be Continued” and not address this topic. Maybe it’s just how God made me, but I can obsess about time. Sometimes this isn’t healthy, like when I plan a day down to the half-hours in my calendar. I guess my fixation with time is one of the reasons I’m such a big Christopher Nolan fan.

I personally have struggled with the past, and moving on from things. But is moving on from something right away always the right move? Are there lessons we can learn from the past? If so, how do they prepare us for the present and the future?

Some people trap themselves in the past (like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite), but this isn’t healthy. It’s not something I want, and it’s not something I want for you either. When we trap ourselves in the past, we miss what God is doing in the present.

Time is always ticking – forward. Will you let God be the master of your time, or forever serve the steady tick-tock, tick-tock?

Past.

While I’ve had my share of amazing and awful experiences, a handful of truths have stood out. First off, the past is the past. To quote Neil from Tenet, “What’s happened, happened.” The truth is, if I could go back and change the past, then it wouldn’t be called the past.

I’ve been trapped in the “whatifs” before. What if I’d done that differently? What if I had another chance? What if…? But this isn’t a healthy – or logical – way to think. Living a life of “whatifs” sucks, let me tell you. And on top of that, it’s unbiblical. We’re saying that what God planned wasn’t the right plan.

Now while we should move on from the past, we shouldn’t forget what it taught us. Author Shannon Alder says, “Forget what hurt you in the past, but never forget what it taught you.”

I have learned many lessons this past year – some from my health, some from my job, and some from other areas. While I am working to move past what happened, I’m keeping the lessons close to heart. I don’t want to bottle up my life and become “that guy” who never talks to anyone; I want to learn from my successes and my failures.

We can’t change what we’ve done, but we can alter who we will become. When we trap ourselves in the past, we stop living in the present. And when we don’t live in the present, we have no future either. That’s not what God wants.

If I allow myself to continually dwell on what happened, instead of what’s going to happen, I would miss what’s currently happening. Focusing on the past is a time trap because there’s nothing you can do about it.

I also want to remind you that God works in us regardless of what we’ve done in the past. If you’re struggling with guilt, shame, or regret, God understands. I’ve done dumb things too. Yet God still loves us. He uses our past experiences – our mistakes and mess-ups – as stories of His faithfulness. He uses my past to shape this blog for the future.

Not only that, but He forgives us of our past. This doesn’t mean we can keep on doing what we’re doing, but it does give us hope. In John 8:11b (NIV) Jesus says, “Now go and sin no more.” The past is the past, and you can’t change that. But you can change the present.

Present.

God is omnipresent, meaning He sees every thing at every time. Psalm 139:16 (NLT) declares, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” God is in the past, the present, and the future, and He sees everything. Not even John Cena can hide from Him.

The present is only here for a fleeting moment, then it becomes the past. You blink, and a week is gone, a month, or a year. God calls us to live in the present – it’s where we accomplish the Great Commission. Not in the future, not in the past.

Except our world is rarely present. Smartphones and technology are one of the forces working to steal the present from us. I know I’m guilty of it too. It’s a challenge that we didn’t have to deal with 30 years ago, but you want to know the best part? God knew it would happen.

If there’s one thing I can ask you to do after reading this post (and it’s not for you to subscribe), it’s to make an effort to be present. It’s something everyone needs to work on. When I’m in a conversation with friends or family, I try to focus solely on the other person. My phone, my thoughts, and what I want can wait.

I choose to live in the present and value others, rather than focusing on what I desire. How can you live in the present?

If we’re not careful, we can get stuck living only in the past (remembering what I did), or only in the future (looking for what is next). However, assuming we want to live lives for Christ and bring glory to His name, how about we live right now? To quote Thomas S. Monson, “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.”

Paul says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Don’t waste your life, friend.

Future.

YouTuber and motivational speaker Prince Ea declares, “You cannot go back and make a brand new beginning…but you can start now and make a brand new ending.” God knows the plans He has for you, plans for a future and a hope.

My pastor always says that no matter what you’ve done, God loves you and can help you. It’s a fact. There is no sin that’s too big to forgive and no fault that’s too great. God promises us hope, eternal hope. If you ask Him, He will forgive you and wipe all sin away.

I’ll be the first to say that I don’t know what my future holds. There are times when I think I’ve got it, until God throws a curveball. Sadly, I frequently forget that I see so little of the big picture.

There’s this awesome video by Pastor Louie Giglio that my youth leader once showed me, called If The Earth Was The Size of a Golf Ball. It’s trippier than a time travel movie and so inspiring. If God could create and love each and every person on a planet so tiny you’d never find it by randomly combing the universe, in a galaxy so minuscule – one of out trillions and trillions – don’t you think He’s got a plan for you? If you want a refresh on the awesomeness of God, read Job chapters 38 & 39.

What I’m getting at is this: sure, we can do stuff on our own. But if you’d like to do something that goes beyond our tiny world and stretches into eternity, give God’s plan a shot. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

The future is not something to fear, because God holds it. When people ask me what I want to do after school, where I want to go to college, where I want to work, etc., I don’t know. I don’t have to know right now. God already knows, and when you put your faith in Him, He will lovingly guide you down His path. It may look different than you would expect, although I promise you it’s far better than living trapped in the past.

The past will not change, and the more I think about it the more I realize that’s true. The future is the only thing that will change. And guess what, while Jesus did come in the past, He’s coming back in the future. I’d hate for you to miss it.

Are you living in what was, what is, or what will be?