“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
A few weeks ago a dear friend from my schooldays sadly passed away very suddenly. It was a very large funeral and many old friends from those days were there. Some had travelled from England to be there and a few of them I hadn’t seen since l left school. As we chatted and reminisced over coffee afterwards I was fascinated to hear what had happened in people’s lives in the last 30 years – successful careers, marriages, divorces, children, even grandchildren – we all had stories to tell. We were in some ways totally altered (how did we get so old!) and in some ways were just the same people in the those photos we shared around and laughed at.
Reliving the past can be fun but it can also be a very negative activity. We relive events the outcome of which we cannot change and get trapped in the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘if onlys’. Maybe when you look back on your past you smile, or perhaps you wince. You would never want to go back there but you feel it’s still having a detrimental impact on your present.
God tells us He’s about new life, change, healing and hope. Your past can’t change but your future can. Today I’m not going to remember the old things but remind myself that Christ can, and will, make all things new – including me – and He can do that for you through His grace and love. We all love getting something new – why not let that new thing be you and your future?