Give Your Past a Decent Burial

Give me a possession of a burying place with you, 

so that I may bury my dead out of my sight. - Abraham

Yesterday is gone! - That is a truth so hard for people to grasp. Somehow, we feel that we can in one way or the other change the things that have happened to us. You see, nothing can be done about the last breath you took- in-out- and it is gone. You cannot decide to unbreathe it but you can choose not to take the next breath. The past does not belong to us. “…Everything belongs to you whether it is… the world, life or death, present or future things, everything belongs to you” (Paul, the apostle). Did you notice that the past isn't part of the “everything”?

   Carrying the burdens of the past does not only mean carrying the negative things of the past. Many positives of our past are real burdens. Past successes can hold you back. I often slap myself to awareness by asking, “What have you done today worth a smile?”

   Happenings such as births, deaths, sicknesses, accidents, and so on could define our today in ways we would love to prevent. When such things happen, we feel helpless to them. What then do we do with the past? How do we put them behind us and move on?

   We move on by doing exactly what Abraham did, he buried his dead!

Are there physical links between you and the burdens of your past? Are there pictures or letters you have kept? These physical links to your past are the bridges that have kept you connected to your past. Burn the bridges, bury your dead, and disconnect yourself from all things in your past that have restricted you.

     Set your focus on your present and future and not on your past. God wired your brain to think about only one thing at a time so instead of hovering around the past happenings of your life, make a habit of thinking about the present and the great prospects of your future. “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago. Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already- you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there” (Isaiah).        Yesterday can hold us back, today is ours to enjoy, and tomorrow gives us hope to live on.