The Past...a Trap or a Lesson?

The Past…A Trap or a Lesson?


This year my plan was to write a letter telling those who might not know, what has been going on in our lives. You know what kind of letter I’m talking about. You got one from your brother’s wife’s aunt who lives in Toledo and in it she described in detail her cat’s emergency surgery to get the giant hairball out of its esophagus. Ah…now you remember. And I may still do that. But, I had a thought. An “ah ha” moment if you will.

Why would I send a letter to people who have no idea, and probably don’t care, what happened in our lives this past year? I mean, if they did care they would probably already know…right? And in writing that letter, am I just giving myself bragging rights? My dearest hubby started my brain down this path, so don’t get mad at me if you write a letter every year. It’s not my fault! Ok…I take full responsibility…send all the hate email to ummm…I just cancelled my email account!

No, seriously though, most of the people I would send one to really don’t know anything about us. They may speculate. They may talk behind our backs and wonder what we are doing since moving to the “great north.” They may wait for the day when we move back with our tails between our legs, heads hung in shame so they can say “told you so.” Then again, they might not give us the time of day, never wonder, never speculate and never gossip. Who knows? We don’t. We never hear from them, which is why they know nothing about us and nothing about our previous year. Of course, we know nothing about them either. We never call. Guilty!
Philippians 3:13 &14 reads: 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
This has become one of my favorite Bible verses. This not only gives me permission, but compels me to live in the present while setting goals for my future. I do believe we can learn from our past. There are many lessons to take from previous endeavors, both good and bad. But, we are not to dwell there. The past is gone. The past is a trap that keeps us from reaching our todays and our tomorrows. Today is where it’s at. Tomorrow is where we are going.
So, if I write a letter, I am going to send it to those people who, I believe, are truly interested in where we are today. These are the ones I want to cry with me, laugh with me and dance with me. I want them to be the ones who celebrate life with me and hold me up when trials come. We may not talk as much as we’d like. We may live miles apart. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, they love me.