We all have them. People we know that don’t let us forget all the things we’ve done in our lives that we desperately want to forget. Those “friends” that seem to enjoy reminding us of our failures. I have found for most, that we subject ourselves to more of these nightmarish trips down bad memory lane than anyone else does. It works it’s way into every area of our lives at times. What’s worse, is that we often believe that Jesus is doing the same thing…remembering our faults, and never forgiving our failures.
Have you fallen prey to this cycle of believing your past failures will always haunt you? Jesus told an incredible story about a boy who made all the wrong mistakes after demanding his inheritance from his still living father. You may remember this story of the prodigal.
The truth is, we are all full of mistakes. Our very nature is sinful apart from the grace of God but He sees you for who you can be, who Jesus died for you to become. So often we sabotage our lives by rewinding the blooper reel of our lives. What would happen if you stopped the cycle? What would happen if you confessed your sin and mistakes and moved on with a live that is fully redeemed?
As a dad, there is nothing my kids could ever do to keep me from loving them. No matter what mistakes they make, I am still here for them and see the very best in them. If I can do that as a sinful man, how much more perfect is our heavenly father’s love for us?
No matter what your past says about you, Jesus is waiting with open arms just as the Prodigal Son’s dad was waiting for him. Maybe it’s time to let the past die in the past and enjoy the celebration with Jesus about an unhindered future. Know today that you are loved.
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. – Luke 15:11-24 (NLT)