Jesusluvsall's Blog

I am a little cynical about New Year’s Day because nothing really changes. I will have the same problems, responsibilities, and obligations that I did yesterday. But it seems like a good artificial time to reflect.

Speaking of reflecting on last year, the question would be do I forget it, remember it, or both forget and remember?

The thing about memories from the past is that we can tend to beat ourselves up with them. We can dwell on mistakes and failures and let them get us down and forget the good things.

We can also dwell on successes to think about how wonderful we are, or how much we achieved to puff ourselves up forgetting our mistakes.

There is a balance in the bible when it comes to forgetting and remembering. In Isaiah 43 we read:

“This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

God starts of by reminding them what he did for them, making a way through the Red Sea for their ancestors, while in the same breath telling them to forget the former things and not dwell on the past.

In other words- Don’t let the past hold us down, focus on God and the new things he is doing for us.

Paul wrote about this issue in Philippians 3:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

This is right after he listed his past accomplishments before he met Jesus and became a Christian. There is balance in the chapter. Paul lists his past as a way of sharing how much better it is to live for Jesus. That is why he says forgetting what is behind.

God doesn’t want us living in the past. He doesn’t want us to dwell on it and beat ourselves up with it. Learn from it, yes. Share how he helped us to encourage others and ourselves? Yes!!

But he wants us focused on the now with him and our future with him. He wants our focus on HIM. Why? Because it is the best thing for us.

Dwelling on past mistakes can lead to feeling defeated, depressed, and discouraged. Focusing on Jesus can lead to hope for our lives.

There are times that we need counseling or help to recover from things in the past such as abuse. That is different than what I am talking about and if you have suffered abuse of any kind, please seek help.

Also there are times we need help with issues like clinical depression and anxiety disorders. I am not talking about those and if you need help with those, please seek it out.

I am talking about our own mistakes and failures and not dwelling on them. Focus on God, he has the answers. 🙂

Happy New Year

Thank you for reading. God Bless.