We have all made mistakes. We have all celebrated successes. The mistakes were painful, the success joyous. Then time continued to flow and these moments became part of our past. If we have learned from these experiences, they will help us shape a bright future. If we get mired in these past experiences we stagnate.
Past success is great, but we cannot rest on those laurels for long, we must move on and work toward more successes.
Past mistakes and disappointments will hold us back and prevent growth if we do not leave them in the past. Granted: some mistakes will play a larger role in our future than others. God can and does forgive us of our sins when we confess to him and repent of them (repent means turn away from them, change our mind about them, not just feel sorrow over being caught), but man is not so forgiving. Some mistakes may yield prison time or damage to our bodies that will play a role in the rest of our mortal life. Still, we must accept that responsibility and move on.
Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (ESV). Just as a boat cannot be steered unless it is moving through the water with the rudder getting a purchase, God cannot bless us with growth if we are drifting along with the current. Don’t let the past become your spiritual Sargasso Sea.
