How many of us struggle with our past sins, old reputations, big mistakes, or bad decisions? So many times it not just us that reminds us of what mistakes we have made. We have people we have hurt, or they have hurt us. While we are struggling to not be who we used to be, we have plenty of people that are quick to remind us or gossip about the person we used to be. Many of us have made mistakes that are too big to be hidden. Some of us have made bad choices on the big stage of life with many people taking in all the drama. We could have sold tickets and popcorn to the messes we’ve made ( welcome to the world of social media)!
All these things are struggles and can cause us to lose hope and question if we can truly walk in the newness of who God says we are. So many Christians are burdened and hurt by what people say about them. They hear the enemy constantly whispering in their ear about how they can never really change. I would like to contrast these feelings and thoughts with the timeless and perfect word of God.
Isaiah 43:18-19 teaches us, ““Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” The word of God actually instructs us to forget the former things. It tells us to not dwell on the past. How many of us feel captive to our former selves? See, God is telling us we need to let it go, not be ruled or defined by who we used to be or what we used to do. God is seeking people that He can do new things in. We don’t always understand what God wants to do with us. I believe this is why verse 19 asks the question , “do you not perceive it?” Many times we don’t understand what God is doing, but we can trust that He wants us to have the very best because of His great love for us.
Today I want to challenge us all to remember to forget. This sounds like a crazy phrase, but let’s consider the importance of this in our lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” When all that old junk tries to creep up on your mind or show back up in your life, God wants us to remember what His word teaches. We need to remember that we are new creations. We are redeemed and made righteous by Jesus Christ when we ask Him to save us and we strive to be more like Him. Today, my prayer for all of us is for God to help us to forget the sins, heartbreak, and failures of our pasts. We can press forward with hope, perseverance, and a blessed assurance that with His help, we can remember to forget. We are so blessed that the old is gone and the new has come!
Courtnay Aycock