Most people love to hear stories. I myself am completely encapsulated by a good story. But it is not just the story, it is the storyteller. As people, we tend to fall for the backstory. We love the history behind the happening.
So here is my story. This is my happening.
I grew up in a good home. Loving parents and happy by all accounts. Then I hit high school. I got caught up in some dumb situations and found myself wanting something more. Jesus showed up and saved me from myself.
Then I went to college, away from my town, my friends and family, and my girl. Two years later, we decided to be crazy and get married while we were in school. Three years later we decided to adopt seven year old twins. This is me in a nut shell. This is the disclaimer. This is the life I am bringing to the table. I have gained some wisdom (mostly through bad decisions) and I am learning every day what it means to try and walk this life that has become mine.
I say all this to say a few comments. Your past can do a couple things for you. It can hold your back or it can propel you forward. So many people lug their past around like a suitcase filled with lead, letting every little puddle become a drowning hazard. As people, we are very good at this. We become excellent at saying things like, “I failed the last test so how can I pass this next one,” or “My last girlfriend/boyfriend didn’t like me so how am I supposed to make my next relationship work”. We get into these cycles and we spiral and we sink and somewhere in that hole we get stuck. This is one option.
The other option is to use our past as a launching pad to new things. How brave, how much courage, how much passion does it take to move forward from a place of mistake or failure? Today, I encourage you to take a look at where you are, where you want to be, and how you are getting there? Have you learned from your mistakes or are you letting them drag you down? I have been there before. I have used my past as a crutch to hide the fear of going forward. But not today. Today I will choose to see my past as a launching pad rather than ball-and-chain. You should do the same.
