I’m just about done reading The Last Arrow by Erwin McManus. This has been a timely read for me and I wanted to share one part I found interesting. It’s something I think is very critical to our growth and we tend to take it lightly at times and overlook it. He talks about needing to leave your past behind in order to move into your future.

Now, we all know we can’t live into the future if we are stuck in the past. But, how do we get over our past when our future is literally built upon our past? Our past comprises both good and bad experiences. I think most of us can agree that there are parts of our past that are easier to leave behind than others. What was interesting to me, though, was the idea that we can get stuck in our past from both good and bad experiences.

Living in the past, based on good experiences, would be longing for the “good old days” mentality. Living in the past, based on bad experiences, is living daily like the past still is happening; people are still hurting you, you are still trapped in circumstances, etc. Either way, we must push through longing for and living in the past if we are to move into the future.

McManus offers some ways of moving from our past into our present and ultimately into our future.

Give life everything you have. You might have had some good times in the past, but don’t let those good times stay there. Make new memories. Give to others when you have excess. Give of your time and talents. Be intentional about living life in the here and now.

Don’t allow fear to control or imprison you. We become so paralyzed with fear at times that we literally get stuck in our past because we are afraid to move. When we allow fear to hold us hostage, though, we become our own prisoners.

Don’t live life with regrets. Don’t wait until tomorrow to do the things you can do today. Don’t stop striking the arrows if you still have arrows left to strike. By continually striking, you are moving and that movement gets you out of your past.

We all have a future worth fighting for! After reading this portion of the book, I wondered, “Is what I’m doing now currently enabling me to move forward to a future God has for me?” My past has had both good and bad times, but they have shaped me into the person I am today. What I choose to do with my past determines if I will live into my future or not.

What part(s) of your past have influenced you the most? What part(s) of your past are keeping you in the past? What steps can you take today that will help you move past your past?

Until next time…

© 2018 Susan M. Sims

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net/Alesanko R.

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