Letting Go of the Past
Letting Go of the Past September 12, 2021
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a Father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame (what we are made of); He is mindful that we are but dust.” (Psalms 103:12-14)
It’s not easy to let go of one’s past especially when you live under its haunting consequences. Everybody has a past they wish they could erase but the truth of the matter is – it happened. Things were said and done that we wish we were not involved in but we were. We’re sorry but that doesn’t change the past. How we make the future so unregrettable is how we deal with the present. Today is tomorrow’s past. We need to make sure that the way we live today won’t produce regrets for tomorrow.
One of the things that helpful with this is to remember that if God is willing to forgive our past, shouldn’t we? The scripture above teaches us this. David had many sinful regrets but he realized God had taken those sins away and described that removal as comparable to the distance between the east and the west (so far has He removed our transgressions from us). When God removes our sins from us then we need to do the same. We can’t afford to live today burdened and laden with the guilt of our past. We need to move on and one can but only with God’s help. Yes, it’s hard to forget the past and it may pop up now and again but remember – we can change our past but changing the way we live today. Yes, today is tomorrow’s past.
The promise of God’s forgiveness in the scripture above is granted to all those who are a child of God as David was. The best way to deal with the regrets and sorrows of your past is to become a child of God and have His forgiveness and experience a better life, full of meaning and hope for tomorrow. If you would like to know more about becoming a child of God, please let me know. I, too, have had a regrettable past.
Brian Thompson