“The past has passed, friends. You don’t live there anymore!”

By Misty Strieff Prine

“I have a past, but I don’t live there anymore.” - Unknown

We all have done things in our lives that we are not proud of haven't we? That would be the moments of regret. Then there are also those moments in our lives that we have gone through that have made us stronger. Maybe we THOUGHT of them as regrets at first but then the Lord used those moments and turned them into something amazingly beautiful. Maybe you thought you would never find your person or could never have kids, but God provided in His time and not your own. Maybe you made terrible decisions when you were younger and were sowing your wild oats and you thought those same mistakes would forever haunt you as an adult. Maybe you grew up in church and thought that just because you darkened the doors of the church all of your life, that you were saved...only to find out many years later, when your heart became so completely convicted, that you were anything but. That is what I mean by your past being filled with repeated regrets and abundant blessings disguised as regrets.

One good thing about the past is that it's just that...the past. You can't change it. What you can do is let it make you stronger than you were back then. In doing so, you need to build that relationship with God that you didn't have back then and strive to live a better life and help others live one as well. I am so thankful for my past because if the things had not happened like they did, I know 100% that I would not be who I am today. God has a way of working things out just how they need to be. I am so thankful He didn't give up on me and saw a greater purpose for my life that I totally never saw years ago. Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with so much more than I deserve. I am thankful that the past is gone and that I don't live there anymore. Thank you, Lord, for helping me understand that bad days will come, and they will go but so will this temporary home we have now. I have peace knowing that God is with me today, tomorrow and for all the days ahead until He calls me home to glory. Thank you, Lord,

for that blessed assurance.

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can have that same outlook on life too. If you don't know Him today, you can. All you have to do is believe that Jesus is Lord, ask Him to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins and be the Lord and Savior of your life. He will change it completely. Don't let your past keep you from making the most important decision of your life. There is absolutely nothing you have done in your life that God will not forgive.

**For daily devotionals, you can follow me on Facebook at The Upward Way or on Instagram at the_upward_way.