Getting Past Your Past

I had come to Seattle for spinal surgery in 1997, the world's inventor of the kind of neurosurgery I needed worked out of Swedish Hospital.  My doctors only gave me a 5% chance of surviving surgery and then as a paraplegic at that.  Hence why one would travel to the best of the best.  So, in early 1998 I was allowed to take those first faltering steps and I went to church that week at a place near where I was staying.  Everyone was friendly, everyone introduced themselves, but when this attractive redhead said her name was "Louise" - in my mind I instantly thought "Vonnie".  Do not ask me, I often think I am crazy until proven right even to myself later on.

Decades later, I was in Seattle and popped into that church for services and Sunday School.  During the course of the class there was something said sort of inappropriately and "Louise" jumped in with both feet, swords drawn and leaving a trail of gutted men in her path.  I was horrified by what she shared, no one should have suffered so.  No one should continue to define themselves as the broken person they had been as a child ...

A decade later and I am back for my final cancer screening and Sunday, at that church, back in sunday school, and there is "Louise" and she had brought her mother as a visitor.  Her mother was introduced and I just had to blurt out, "Louise, I know you!  But your name was not Louise, nor was your hair red!"  Everyone howled with laughter.  So she said, "How would you know?"

"Vonnie" was a childhood friend whom I lost touch of in 1964 when my family moved to France.  I liked her but lets face it a normal nine year old really does not care that much about females, especially if they are younger.  However, Vonnie's mother was a teacher's assistant in my classroom in second through fourth grade!  And I am sitting there seeing an ancient version of my TA!  Why bring this up?

Well, Vonnie aka Louise defined herself as that 11 year old girl whom had been raped by her father for several years.  She could not get past it, to her, it was all she was - a piece of meat incapable of ever trusting a man ever again, only being used.  Lunch that day lost its savor, not because of what happened to her forty years earlier (which angered me) but because of whom she had become because of it.

Paul claimed he was the greatest of all sinners.  Personally, I know he was a braggart, because I am the king of sinners.  However, neither he nor I define ourselves by that sin life.  If you are to be defined by your past, do not blame God - He came to put that past to death!  It is the past - not the present and certainly holds no power over your future!

1 Timothy 1:3 - 12

Look Up!
Our hope is in God for our salvation.
Our hope is in Heaven for our future.
Jesus changes people!
Just think of Saul on the road to Damascus.
God gets the glory, God does it all!

Confess!
Admit all of the junk in your life!
The past, then the present.
Every weakness, every failure, every blasphemy against God.
(see Acts 26:9 - 11)

Trade His Mercy for Your Mess!
We are not "owed" mercy because we are ignorant.
God gives mercy to cover our messes.
Though in reality we are ignorant of the true consequences for what we do!
We receive mercy, but not because we deserve it.

God's Grace Flows Around You!
Grace is undeserved blessings.
Your past is past.
Put it at Jesus feet, turn around and walk away ...