I love listening to John Mayer. In my opinion, he is the best songwriter of this generation. On my favorite Mayer album is a song called “I Don’t Trust Myself.” The basic message of the song is that he doesn’t trust himself with loving the girl he loves because of the relational dysfunction of his past. In his words, “If the past is any sign of your future, you should be warned before I let you inside.” Wait, now I need to go listen to the song…
OK, I’m back. This week my blog is devoted to going back to school. Yesterday, I wrote about identity and labels and how important it is for us to live out of our true identity instead of the labels people give us.
THE PAST
Today, I want to talk about the past and the future. For many of us, the past is haunting. If you’ve lived for any length of time, you probably have massive regrets. All of us have skeletons in the closet, whether things done to us or that we’ve done ourselves that we hope to God will never come out into the light.
Not only are most of us embarrassed by the past, but we’re also deeply shaped by it. I firmly believe that life is a path. Where you are today is directly affected by where you were yesterday. You are walking in a direction. The decisions you have made are taking you somewhere—to a future you may or may not like. If I sound like a genius right now, I’m not. I stole the entire concept from Andy Stanley.
BOUND
The mistake that most of us make is that we falsely believe that the past binds us. We believe that because he did that to me, we aren’t valuable. Because she said that about me it must be true for all of time. Because I made that mistake it doesn’t make any difference if I make it again.
We believe that the past defines us. And while it is true that the past influences us, we must understand that we have a choice in the matter. The past doesn’t define your future. All of life is a path. Your decisions yesterday and today do influence where you are going but you always have a choice. You can always choose to turn to the left or turn around completely.
A NEW YEAR
As you begin the school year, I want to draw your attention to a simple and yet revolutionary verse found in the New Testament:
“…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Maybe last year was the worst year of your life. Maybe last week was terrible. Maybe yesterday was a day to forget. Today is new. Mornings are a reboot. A new school year is a chance to relaunch. In Christ, you are a new person. Whatever defined your past does not define your future. In Jesus, you are a child of God and your future is full of incredible potential.
Your mistakes do not define you. The sins done against you do not define you. This new school year is an opportunity to pursue a new path. May you choose to redefine your future based on who you are in Christ.
