Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:13–14)
Experiences from our past have a strong effect on our lives and our behavior. Great experiences can give us confidence and faith. However, sometimes tough experiences can make us bitter, fearful, and untrusting which can produce a devastating effect on our lives and our relationships.
Most of us have some history we would like to erase. How about you? Are you haunted by things you did—things you want to forget, actions for which you still feel condemned?
Before the apostle Paul became a committed disciple of Christ, he was a persecutor of the followers of Jesus. This was part of his history that he wished he could erase. And even after he became a Christian, he still struggled with his old nature and at times slipped into sin. Paul shares his struggle and Christ’s solution,
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind, I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:24–25)
He continues, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 8:1–2).
We need to see beyond the sins and mistakes of yesterday so we can embrace Christ’s promises for tomorrow. Today, accept the grace and forgiveness Christ has provided to us so we can be free to live the new life he has planned for us.
John, the apostle, explains it like this, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV).
“Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.”
—Saint Augustine
We can’t earn God’s forgiveness. It is freely given by him when we acknowledge we have worked against him and ask him for forgiveness. Then he will remove “our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
God has an overall plan that is not thwarted by anyone’s mistakes. Negative experiences will be turned into positives for our future when we let God heal us and teach us what we can learn from them—allowing him to conform us to the image of Christ.