Trapped by the Past

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 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. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:12-16 ESV). Today’s reading has been a part of Morning Devotionals on several occasions. It is one of the pivotal truths of the Scripture. Today I was drawn back to it because of so many people who are just stuck. They have surrendered to their past as if there is no hope for the future. Many of them have the same response to my queries about their future that that Martha had of Jesus after Lazarus had died. Jesus asked her if she believed he would live again; her only response was yes, but that won’t happen until the resurrection of the dead (cf. John 11). He response was simply one in which she couldn’t imagine Jesus not doing something now. She was stuck in the fact that for four days her brother was dead. How could that be changed? I have read that if flies are placed in a jar with air holes in the lid, they will fly frantically, banging into the lid, desperately trying to escape from the jar. If left there long enough, eventually they will stop hitting the lid. Later, if the lid is removed, they won't even try to escape. Being stuck in the past, recent or far removed, is like those flies! Because of a traumatic or painful experience in our past, we have been "conditioned" to believe that we are trapped in a prison of helplessness without escape, so we are afraid to try again for fear of failure or of being hurt again. To begin to move forward and experience freedom, we need to acknowledge where we have been hurt and begin the process of healing with an attitude of complete trust in the will and purpose of God. It may be necessary to get some help. The second step is to develop a spirit of forgiveness toward those who have hurt us. As Peter said, "… put away all malice" (cf. 1 Peter 2:1). The same principle applies to all negative feelings, especially the supercharged repressed negative emotions that come from a bitter experience. Repressing or denying these feelings doesn't get rid of them. It only adds "interest" to them and makes matters worse. Furthermore, we can never truly "get rid of" a negative painful past until we have resolved it. Only then are we truly able to forgive any and all who have ever hurt us. Until we do this, we are still bound to and controlled by our past. Let’s press on! God’s promise to us to work all things for our good!