When you look back on your life thus far there are certain moments that may stand out... maybe it's a decision related to education, maybe it's a financial decision you made or perhaps a choice in a relationship.
Everyone has something they wish they could re-do, that they wish they had said yes to and yet didn't out of fear, foolish pride, haste or anger. Maybe they wish they had said no to someone... not given in to the fleshly desires of their body, had not had pre-marital sex or married someone... as now... life fast forwarded it can be seen that hindsight is always a crystal clear 20/20.
Maybe they wish they had put marriage on hold for a bit... and instead traveled some, seen the world and savored a few more years of freedom before taking on so many responsibilities. Maybe they regret bad choices related to drugs and alcohol that contributed to a dark path... now fervently wishing they had taken the path filled with light and inner peace instead of destruction and tears.
No matter what your past decisions or what has happened to you that wasn't by your own choice but instead handed to you like a bag of lemons…
remember this:
remember this:
You are not that choice or experience.
You are not that infliction by others.
You are not that diagnosis.
You are not that decision.
You are not that infliction by others.
You are not that diagnosis.
You are not that decision.
We can stop looking at our past and grumbling
all those "coulda", "shoulda",
"woulda's" and begin anew today.
Stand today and say:
"Today I will not be bitter. I will extend grace to myself and to others. I will remember that I am not my past. I am a new creation and beginning today I will put on a new attitude, a new outlook, a healthier perspective. If it's something I can change, I will. But I won't relive the same chapters I've been living. A new chapter awaits! And I'm ready to fill it's pages with beauty, learning, music, growth, purpose, kindness and love."
Our past doesn't dictate our future. God is our father and He has a great plan for our life, a plan He knows intimately. We can rest assured and say no to anxiety about our future because we know the good Lord knows it like the palm of our hand. We each have a path to take and that path, with all it's trials can be used for good!
Every single trial we've had has taught us something. There has been something derived from that heartache that taught us a lesson and likely has then helped someone we know in some way... because God can use us to bless others.
God is there with us behind closed doors. He sees the tears, sees the reflection in the mirror we don't want to meet. He sees the mascara stained face, He sees the trembling chin that turns into sobs and the prayers that go unfinished because we fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. He sees the hurt, the betrayal, the pain. He sees the anger, the violation, the fear. He sees it all.
What have you learned?
I've learned….
no matter how beautiful, how heart wrenching, how sad, how troubling a situation is, Christ is there! He walks beside the joyous ones enjoying their songs of praise and likewise the brokenhearted who cry out in despair.
sometimes your friends are more like family than family is. Sometimes you're like a little band who only meets once a month or so but in that time it's like you just hung out yesterday. Time and distance means nothing and they mean everything.
to not be skimpy with "I love you". We can be thankful when the last words we speak to someone are those three sweet words. I thank God everyday those were the last words I spoke to my sister before she was killed by a drunk driver.
if you hear of someone's past, their hurts, their wounds, their struggles, don't hesitate. Hug them tight, don't let go, soothe them with kind words, don't hesitate out of fear for whatever reason.
if you care about someone and they care for you, don't hold back.... run, don't just walk to him. Scream your love for him from the rooftops. If he is a believer and follows God's word, if he treats you as a best friend should, if he can communicate without shutting down or lashing out, if he speaks to your mind in conversation and your body merely through a kiss.... marry him.
abortion hurts women. I'd say to any young woman today contemplating an abortion to imagine for a moment meeting that child in Heaven one day. What would you say to him or her? What do you think he or she would say to you? What would you say to God? It's hard to imagine how we may feel about a choice later down the road... ten years, twenty years later but we can remind ourselves feelings are fickle... God's word is unchanging.
sometimes we keep beating ourselves up for past choices that God has already forgiven. You've repented, you've cried out for forgiveness from Him... have you forgiven yourself? Give yourself grace... don't be stingy with yourself. It's not a free ticket to just do whatever you wish but allowing yourself to move on after you come face to face with the reality of a bad decision. You have to live with yourself and liking who you are is part of that.
just because a man desires you doesn't mean for a second he also values you. One is lust, but value is cloaked in love. Any man can view you with lust, indifference, skepticism and amusement. The self focused male sees a woman as merely a toy, a means to his own pleasures, sick obsessions and tendencies like a depraved animal.
a real man values you for the beauty you emanate from within, what you add to the world. He shows his love for you through purposeful action... PATTERNS being the key here. Anyone can be "good" occasionally or even much of the time and talk a good talk... but a Godly man shows consistent good in all areas of his life in how he treats you AND others.
if you don't realize that your past choices are just a part of your story, not you... it will affect your future. It's imperative you push through all that mental junk, all that garbage you've been exposed to in your childhood, uplift your low esteem, sort those piles of baggage out, boost your confidence, or all that junk will keep cropping up again. We can enter therapy, we can talk to God, we can pray and read His word.
You are a sparkling daughter of a King. He loves you. And no amount of junk you've been through, what lies you've been told, lies you've told yourself or allowed the devil to whisper will change that. Beginning today you can remind yourself that your future begins right now. And that means no longer subscribing to yesterday's narrative of negativity.
I've learned that to follow Jesus is the best road to travel. For a person to just follow anyone blindly is foolish. But once you begin reading and learning about Him... you may just realize on your own what a great teacher He is and how much He wants to share with you, including His love. It's up to you. For me, He is by far the most beautiful man I know... I can say that not based on sight of Him but by knowing His character.
© gps-gracepowerstrength.blogspot.com ~ 2014
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