Looking Back

The key to continuing to walk successfully with God is having the right outlook on the three dimensions of life: the past, the present and the future.

You would think that people would have few problems with the past – after all, it no longer exists except as a memory. Yet many people are troubled by the past and try to avoid it because it is so full of regrets, hurts and guilt, while others find themselves stuck there, trapped by recriminations or grief. Neither reaction is healthy. The first person ends up throwing away the good of the past along with the bad; the second is unable to move on.

For the Christian, Jesus can help us ‘get past the past’. Take forgiveness, for example. How do you ask forgiveness of someone you have lost contact with? How can you experience forgiveness where someone who refused to forgive you has died? One of the remarkable features of Jesus’ teaching is that he claims to offer forgiveness not just for wrong things done against himself but also those done against others (see Mark 2:10; Luke 7:48). It is one of those claims that only makes sense if Jesus is God.

The healing Jesus offers goes beyond giving people forgiveness; it extends to giving the power to forgive to those who need it. Repeatedly, the Holy Spirit has enabled Jesus’ followers to grant forgiveness in situations where forgiveness seemed impossible. Yes, the scars of the past may remain, but the wounds themselves have healed.

One reason why it is important to have a past without wounds is because our experience of the past can be a source of great help to us in walking the way of life with God. The past can stimulate us to be grateful to God. Looking back, we can identify situations where God blessed us (perhaps in giving us friends, prosperity or health) or where he had mercy on us (perhaps in protecting us from the consequences of our actions). Also, the past can give us warnings. Looking back, we can see where our weaknesses lie and can take action to prevent a repetition of trouble. Finally, the past can bring us encouragement. When we look back and see the difficulties that God has brought us through, the future may not seem so daunting.

Followers of Jesus possess the privilege of having their past healed. Yet our task is not to be concerned about the past or the future but to live in the present. However, it is surprisingly hard to live in the present without the future threatening us. Some people look at the challenges that walking with God presents and become intimidated by what lies ahead. The secret is to take things one day at a time. The Lord’s Prayer tells us to ask for ‘our daily bread’, to pray for what we need on a day-by-day basis.