Purpose Pace

“If people really knew me, they would reject me.” “If you knew what I have done, you wouldn’t even talk to me.” “I can’t move forward or accomplish much for God because of my past.” “How can I press forward when I am burdened down with so much guilt and shame?” “I know God has forgiven me, but can I trust people to do the same?” “What can God do through a washed up, sin stricken preacher?”

Comments and questions like these plagued me for years. Maybe some resonated with you as you read them. The scary thing about these statements is that there is some truth and legitimacy behind them. So therefore I remained powerless, complacent, and without purpose in my life because the harsh truth lingers. I couldn’t climb over the mountain of guilt. I couldn’t jump the hurdles of shame. My past not only kept me from growth, but also from forward progress in my life. Believing in and reiterating these statements in my mind, year after year, affected my behavior, and outlook on people and life. It was influencing my very identity. After a while, my identity was being shaped by guilt, shame, and depression. Not a good basis for a strong and healthy identity.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my identity to be wrapped up in who I was or what I did in the past. As Christians, we should be so focused on who Jesus is, what he taught, and what he did, that we emanate Him. It can be so easy sometimes to wrap up our identity in other things, career, money, success, failures, popularity, power, relationships. Wouldn’t be so much better to focus on where we are going rather than where we’ve been. How do we get anywhere if we drive staring in the rearview mirror? The Apostle Paul said it so well, “this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching for those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus.” Wouldn’t it also be so much better that we focus on the character of God so much so that it enraptures us? We would be too busy thinking about how great He is rather than how bad we are. This is what gave David the courage to face Goliath. His problem was great, but his God was greater. David said, “…for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” God, give us the courage of David. Regardless of what past giant we would face, that we would stand in opposition and fight for God’s cause.

I started this post with a series of questions that carry cause for legitimate concern. I want to leave you with this thought: questions about the past that hinder personal growth minimizes God’s character and power and, in turn, corrupts our identity, gives us a skewed mentality, and a faulty approach to present circumstances.