Lesson 2: Accepting Your Past

Morrie tells Mitch to "accept the past as the past without denying it or discarding it". The past has ways to come back to the "present", but we cannot change the past or allow it to consume us. Lessons learned in our past often shape who we are today. The circumstances life has brought you or the struggles you faced in your past happened for a reason. At the time, most people do not understand why they are going through a trying time. Through reflection, we sometimes see and understand why we experienced a particular challenge. Discarding the past or not learning from it could lead to other consequences. Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose". This verse tells us that no matter the circumstance God is working for the good if we love Him. Something good will come out of the circumstance you are facing. You may not realize it at the time or never realize it, but know that God is working.

The 3 A's of Awesome--Attitude

Life's circumstances bring us down. Sometimes life throws us a curve ball that the best baseball player couldn't come close to hitting. Our reaction to our circumstances is very visible to those around us. Saying we have the attitude of Christ is totally different than showing others we have the attitude of Christ. In Philippians 2:5, Paul reminds us that "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. This is extremely difficult because everyone thinks and prioritizes things differently. The circumstances that we face are sometimes unbearable, but we know we should and can lean on the Lord. Paul reminded the church in Thessalonica to "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus". What things can you change in your life right now to reflect the attitude of Jesus?

The Reward

I decided to follow the theme of my previous two posts that focused on the movie "Field of Dreams. Through various struggles and nearly losing his farm, Ray continued to follow and listen to the voice. **MOVIE SPOILER ALERT** At the end of the movie, Ray receives a reward for following the voice. The reward is being able to see and play catch with his father one last time. The reward allows Ray to mend his "rocky" relationship with his father. Just as Ray received the reward for following the "voice", we will receive a great reward if we follow the leading and the calling of the voice of God. Jesus tells us in John 14:2, "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you"? As we walk this life, we struggle and fall. We must turn to the one who created us for guidance. Jesus' promise is clear. If we follow him, our reward awaits us in heaven.

Giving Up---No Way Man!

President John F. Kennedy in his address at Rice University in 1962 said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too”. Kennedy’s quote was focused on beating the Russians to the moon, but I think it can apply to the daily challenges we face in our lives. Often times, we want to give up and we want to quit because the challenges we face are difficult or hard. Sometimes our relationships are complicated. Giving up is easier than working through or struggling through the challenges in our lives. Paul discussed the importance of “finishing the race” in his letter to Timothy. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 1 Timothy 4:7. The trials or challenges we face in our lives are used to grow our character and dependency on Christ. James reminds us of the importance of persevering through our challenges. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1: 2-4. Don’t give up...push through the challenges!

Faithful God

I was really not wanting to go to rehearsal tonight. Actually, I was planning on skipping until I received a text from the Teresa reminding me of rehearsal. As I was pondering whether I would go, God already knew why I needed to be there. In our lives, we struggle with multiple challenges. Some are simple challenges that with time and prayer...will pass. Others are more challenging. Tonight, Teresa challenged me with a statement she shared with the group. She said something like, “The reason we often quit something is because of the difficulty...it is easier to quit”. We have a faithful God and He has placed us in that spot for a reason. When we quit, we are giving in to the challenge and might miss out on great opportunities. Reflecting back on my past, I have went through multiple job changes that have prepared me for where I am today. However, I often wonder, what opportunities or blessings I missed out because I didn’t trust in the Faithful God, who sustains us. I am reminded of David and his struggles and challenges he faced. David always looked to God and poured his heart out before God. In Psalms 71:22, David writes “I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God;I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel”. I’m really at a unique place in my life. My current job is the job that I have had the longest. I have been most content with my current occupation of teaching. However, things have been challenging and I’ve been questioning my effectiveness. This year has been plagued by more frustrating days then what I would call successful days. I have pondered moving on. After tonight and Teresa’s insight on our faithful God, I am going to push on and push through this challenge. I am eager to see what God is going to do as I persevere through the challenges of daily life.