The
other night I read Isaiah 64:8 (ESV): “But now, O Lord, You are our
Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter; we are all the work
of Your hand.” Thinking about that in the context of my life, I wrote: There is so much I would do differently if I were the one writing my life story, but I realize that any such creation would no longer be “me.” Change even a few small circumstances or events and this would be someone else’s life.
Big
Daddy Weave has an album that I recently downloaded and just now
noticed the lyrics to one of the songs, which you can read here: http://www.bigdaddyweave.com/songs/different-light Or listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prllO7kYsQ&feature=kp
They
say it well. Although the events of our past are often things we’d
like to erase or forget, they do serve to remind us of what God has
done and is doing in our lives. I’m beginning to realize that every
day is indeed a new day and a new opportunity for God to show His
grace and mercy. Each day we can say, “That’s not who I am
anymore,” because we are constantly changing, even though the
process may seem too long and slow.
Philippians
3 is one of my favorite chapters of Scripture. In verses 13-14 Paul
says, “...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.” No matter whether the
memories of the past are good, bad, or indifferent, they are only
memories. Give them to God to be covered by His grace, and keep
moving forward. I know that is often easier said than done, but may
we learn to look back with new eyes to see what God has done and to
understand our stories more clearly.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
