Leaving The Past Behind

Today is my dad’s 90^th birthday. We celebrated his life yesterday with a party of many friends and family in attendance. There was a slideshow running on the television sets that showed many old pictures.  I saw reminders of some good times as well as some bad hair days and some horrible wardrobe choices.  

This past week I have been thinking a lot about the past; the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes we get stuck in the past and forget to look upon today.

There is nothing wrong with remembering the past. I remember watching Married with Children and hearing Al Bundy talk about his glorious moment of scoring four touchdowns in a single high school football game. There is a big difference in remembering the past and living in the past. Al Bundy didn’t care for his present so instead of looking to improve his position in life and perhaps his future, he chose to dwell on past glories.

When we get married, many make the vow for better or for worse. That works right until the point things are no longer better and people decide their vows were just words with no meanings. We do not have to settle for the way things are but it takes work, desire, and a decision to make things better.

This post is not about marriage and divorce. This is about anyone’s past.

Many of us remember the good that we have done. Maybe we helped someone, gave a donation to a cause, or encouraged someone to do the right thing. Whatever the good is that we have done is not all there is.

In professional sports there is a saying, “what have you done for me lately.” It is great that we have good point in our past. However, they are in the past. There is a world of people that still need help. Remembering people with needs or praying for them is good, but there is so much more that we can do. We can do those things but we also must feed the hungry, give drink t the thirsty, invite those who have no place to stay and be hospitable to those who are not like us. We can donate clothes to those who have nothing. Some people just want someone to talk to or a visit from someone, even from someone that they do not know. I applaud the good that has been done. What are we going to do today?

 There is also a matter of those who have made poor choices. I know I have.  I also know that if I went back, I would be the same person and probably make the same choices again. It is not that I would want to make those choices. I just know how I am. I choose not to live with regrets. Those choices have led me to be the person I am today. That doesn’t mean things could not have been better. Those choices, however, allowed me to make friends with people that I never would have met.  They have allowed me to live where I live. They have allowed me to gain skills that were previously unknown. Regrets hold us back. Look at where you are and be thankful that things are not as bad as they could have been. Be thankful for what you have. Accept the things that have happened and learn from them. Realize you have survived some bad choices. Move on to a brighter tomorrow by leaving the past behind.

People sometimes provide scars or have changed your past. Some may have been on purpose while others a matter of circumstance. We need to get past the scars and the hurts. Bitterness and hatred affect us not just emotionally but also physically. If we give up the right to hate or to be mad and choose to love and forgive, we would be much happier. The choice to do this is not always easy. I have people who have hurt me. Not living with anger makes my life much more enjoyable. I am at peace because of this choice. It doesn’t mean I should accept my position in life. It means the past is not a place worth dwelling and I choose to move forward.

I will make wrong choices. I will also make right ones. Whatever will happen will happen. I may remember the past, but I will not live there. The future is too bright.