Sunday, March 11, 2012

DON'T REFLECT YOUR PAST!

Luke 9: 62


"Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back (to the things behind) is fit for the kingdom of God."

When I read this many years ago, I thought it was pretty tough talk. I argued that we do need to look back to see how far we've come and are we on the straight and narrow. Are the rows straight and did I get everything done just right. Figuratively, of course. Over the years I have come to understand this differently, and especially through counseling. People spend a lot of time looking back and condemning themselves or circumstances. They will blame the economy for their bad decisions, or themselves for everything. I believe Jesus is saying here, that, He has a plan for our life and His will for us is always meant for good. We need to grab onto the truth, the good and move forward.

Fixing our future so it doesn't reflect our past is an art to be sure. You will hear some say, "Well I will never amount to anything, just ask my dad, or mom." Some grandparents can be heard telling us those things as well. It is a natural thing to get out there and prove them wrong, and there is another natural temptation to sit down and give up. HOw do you see it?

God gave me this phrase when Logan, our 21 year old grandson, left Fort Wayne and headed west. And, not just because I said that, but he did fix it. He put his hand to the plan and made new footprints.

We always have a choice. We can forgive or not. We can hate or not. We can condemn ourselves and live a negative life or not. This is why I am so passionate about teaching people to forgive emotionally. They can make a choice, of course, to not fix things and look back. Most of them make a choice to go forward.

II Corinthians 5: 17

"Therefore if any person is (in-grafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!"

Yes, we can look back to remember how far we've come and praise our God! He is emphasizing in Luke 9: 62, that we are not to ignore His plan for our life by always condemning our future. Forgive and hang on tighter.

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