These verses are sweet to my soul right now:
“Dear brothers & sisters, I have not achieved it yet, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Phil 3:13
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Cor. 5:17
We do not need to worry about the past anymore.
God’s power through Christ in us allows the future to be NEW; to be unlike anything that has ever happened before.
Our lives are not held back by what has happened.
This is hard to believe isn’t it? The human mind I have within me reminds me of so many mistakes I’ve made. The things I’ve fallen for. The lies I keep forgetting aren’t actually true. The ways in which I’ve been hurt.
Faith is so tricky. We read the Word. We know the scriptures. But, our minds… They aren’t flawless. They are broken just like our bodies which breathe life and hold it so fragilely. Our minds can ruminate, can focus on the wrong things, they can hold us back.
So what do we do? What do we do with this dilemma of wanting to live within the joy and excitement of a future that is hopeful? What do we do when we want to remember God is not limited by our past but our past seems so…well present?
Lately I’m thinking it’s small choices. Small choices to focus on the right things. Continual reminders. Constant reading and rereading of these True Words, allowing them ample time and softness to sink in. These are vital to the renewing my mind.
But even that is tricky. Cause this renewing… it can’t be done on our own effort.
Faith, new beginnings, seeing life differently, they don’t start and end with us. They start and end by God. And thank goodness for that!
There is newness in our future. There is Hope of not being held back. There is Joy that’s found in believing a new chapter can and does exist for us… but it only happens when the Source is not our selves.
Faith. Hope. Joy. Being renewed. A good future and full of hope.
They start, they end, they grow and move by God. God is capable.
So our continual reminders, our constant reading and rereading of these True Words, our allowing them ample time and softness to sink and soak into us – they are vital to the renewing of our minds, Yes. But I’m starting to realize, they aren’t everything. Until I know deep somewhere down in there that I am not capable, I am holding myself back, limiting life to my own power.
It’s not that I realize it. I’m not trying to hold myself back. But I’m forgetting I’m not the Source of “making things happen” in life. And when that hits me. When God graciously reminds me my weakness is actually my strength, oh how sweet it is. I don’t have to make things happen!
By grace alone, and yet again, God’s voice always speaks. “Behold I am making all things new.”
The reality is, His Power in me is what will allow the Hope, the Joy, the reality of new to rise up from within.
So friends, when we feel frail, weak, deserted, afraid of repeating mistakes, afraid of dreams being impossible… remember those feelings, those thoughts, your past… they will never limit your future. They will never limit your God.
Next time your weakness hits you like the grief it can be, remember that moment is a choice. We have a choice.
A choice to believe beyond what we can see. To forgive all things. A choice to pick Hope instead of dwelling on hurt. A choice of rereading these Words and believing God until they become reality in our hearts instead of replaying the past in our heads.
We got this.
Why? Because He’s got this from within. He’s got this… in me.
God can and is making all things new! And as crazy awesome and scary as it is, He made us a partner in that. We can create the soil of our heart and allow His newness to grow, or we can cling to the rocks and weeds choking our gardens.
Slowly this year as I focus on Faith, I’d love to keep moving in a way that when God leads me to plant some Hope… I dig deep around and offer Him all the rocks I find taking up the new seedling’s space.
I hope you will try and join me. This year, may we journey onward in Faith with that little unstoppable smirk rising from a heart that knows a God who’s making all things new.
Extra Musings
Just got this book that I’m really excited to read. It just came out on soft cover and Brene Brown, as well as many others, refers to Kristin Neff’s work on self-compassion in her research that discovered how to live wholeheartedly. In my mind it’s basically helping the ability to “Love God, love others as your love yourself.” Without knowing compassion first toward the person God made you, it’s hard to love outward. Anywho… I’ll let you know how I like it!
Still reading this one and loving the thoughts on what the Church really is and means. Rachel Held Evans Searching for Sunday
Went to the Amos Lee and David Gray concert Friday at the Mann Center in Philly. Phenomenal! Favorite venue. 2 solid acts. A perfect Summer night. And 3 favorite people to see it with.
And if you don’t know that Carmen & David’s has an ice cream truck on Prince Street for the Summer… you should. The picture above is just a cute planter they have at the pop up park where it sits.
I wrote this post very early in the week but am only posting it today. I had to seriously swallow my pride as I read it. Life hit me and a lot of my family like a truck this week. Sometimes seeing with Hope is a battle. But it’s a battle that’s worth the fight.
