I can't believe it! What were they thinking? Why didn't they? Why didn't I? This is so stupid!
Regrets. Anger. Grudges. Should haves. Poor choices. Bad decisions. Self-reproach. Unforgiveness.
They
plague us, don't they -- those seething, simmering thoughts about the
past? They rob us of today; they smoke and smother out what little hope
we have for tomorrow.
I had a mentor and teacher in my early
years who used to say it's like the stinky ole cat that dies. We give it
a funeral and bury it in the back yard. But just for good measure, we
leave a little bit of its tail sticking up out of the ground. Then,
every once in a while, we go outside in the back yard and grab that tail
and yank up the stinky ole cat. Whew. And every time we do it, it
stinks even worse! Then we bury it again and wait for the next time.
Do
you do that? Do you bury petty grudges and regrets just to go back and
pull them out of the ground again? For what purpose? To flog yourself or
another? To try and change the past?
Does it do any good? Is it
useful? Edifying? Fruitful? Does it help you live better today? Or is it
robbing you of your joy, your relationships, and your future?
Jesus speaks about something entirely different: New Life. New Heart. New Creation. New Wine. New Self. New Spirit.
"So
from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view...
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; the old has
gone, the NEW has come!" 2Corinthians 5:16-17
"This "new creation," says one writer, "is of such transcendent importance that our past lives of sin have no bearing on our current relationship with God in Christ. The expression "in Christ" expresses briefly, but profoundly, the incredible significance of our redemption."
(from Women of Faith Study Bible, NIV)
Wow.
Our sins, shame and guilt are in our past and buried "in Christ." They
are part of a life we no longer live. Sometimes it takes discipline of
the mind and spirit to live in our new birthright in the Kingdom of God.
Learn when to leave the ole cat alone, friends...and bury the stupid tail!
Greg
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