Have you ever been haunted by your past? Do thoughts of your past leave you feeling anxiety, fear, or other troubling emotions? It is a common problem that many people struggle with. Some may want to forget their past life, like it never happened, while others find themselves trapped and unable to move on.
Perhaps you feel your past sins and struggles are as real today as they were back then. If you try to forget about what happened, it is the only thing you can think about. You may be trapped in a vicious cycle of being consumed by past thoughts, and that may leave you feeling mentally, emotionally, and even physically drained. Is there a way to find peace today despite your past?
It might surprise you that the Bible says a lot about dealing with the past. In Philippians 3:13, the apostle Paul says, “… one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind me and straining forward to what lies ahead”. Also, in Psalm 71:20, the psalmist writes “You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again”.
As Christians, we believe that the Bible is our guide for living the Christian life. In it, God shows us how he views our past and how to live a life that pleases and glorifies him despite the hardships of yesterday. As we aim to answer the questions of how a Christian with a troubled past can find peace, let us consider 3 fundamental and beautiful truths from God’s word.
The first truth to consider is that every Christian is a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come”. If you are a Christian, you have a new identity that is rooted and secure in Jesus Christ. This new reality is a gift given to an individual who has put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior from their sins. This truth that Christ died for all our sins, past, present, and future, should lead us to live a life that pleases him. This is the goal that Paul speaks of in Philippians 3:14 when he writes “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. Paul actively forgets what lies behind him, which is his past life, and he presses forward to living a life that will please God, which God calls all of us to do. As you put your past behind you, strive forward to live out your new identity as a new creation! Truly believe that the old has passed away, behold the new has come.
Do the sins of your past or present continue to haunt you? The first step to being released from your shame, anxiety, or fear, is to reconcile with God through Jesus Christ. Only when you have peace with God can you begin to find peace with your past. You will never be free from your past unless you allow God to make you a new creation.
Our second truth to consider is that God uses our past, no matter how ugly or tragic it might be. There are times when a person sins and feels like their sin is unforgivable. There are other times when a person is sinned against, and they wonder how God can ever use this tragic thing that has happened to them. A helpful but challenging verse to understand this truth is Genesis 50:20. It says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” Joseph tells his brothers this after they had sinned against him by selling him into slavery. Though Joseph’s circumstances were undeserved and tragic, God used those painful circumstances to spark a chain of events that led to Joseph being promoted to Pharaoh’s right-hand man. In that position, God would use Joseph to save entire nations from a terrible seven-year famine.
Have you been sinned against? Have you done something that you have repented of but still hold on to? God is all powerful and his example in Joseph’s life can give hope to those who struggle with their past. God may not use us exactly like he used Joseph. Yet, we who hope in God, can trust that he will use everything for our good and his glory. Sometimes we see how God uses our adverse circumstances, and sometimes we don’t, but we can trust his word when it says that “for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Whatever past struggle you may be dwelling on in the present, you can find rest in our third and final truth to consider. That truth is that Jesus Christ is coming back. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Jesus Christ is coming back and when he does, all the tears, hurt, struggle, and sin, will be gone forever! If you are a Christian, this truth is the reality you can look forward to. While our past life may be something we struggle with today, we can look to the promise of Christ’s return and find joy and peace, knowing that one day he will make all things new! Looking to our future hope will dramatically change how we feel in the present and how we think about our past.
If you would like to discuss further how to trust God when your past causes you pain, reach out to Hillside Biblical Counseling by contacting us at www.hillside.org/biblicalcounseling or (408) 269-4782. We’ll be glad to help.