Good morning from Colorado!
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” — Proverbs 22:3
Yesterday, we talked about what we do with what remains after life leaves us with broken pieces. Today, I want us to look at something a little different.
What happens when we keep living in what happened?
There is a difference between remembering your past and living in it. Remembering can teach us. Living there can keep us stuck. Sometimes, when we stay stuck long enough, we become vulnerable to people who recognize exactly where we are hurting.
Samson gives us a face to that truth.
God gave Samson an incredible gift. He was strong, set apart, and called to do something significant. But Samson also had weaknesses. And instead of dealing with those weaknesses, he repeatedly returned to the same kinds of situations that left him vulnerable.
Eventually, Delilah discovered the place where his strength could be taken from him. She used what she learned against him, and Samson paid a tremendous price.
Now, I don’t want us to look at Samson and simply say, “He should have known better.” Because if we’re honest, many of us have had our own Samson moments.
We know what hurts us, but we go back.
We know which situations don’t bring out the best in us, but we return.
We know who has already shown us that they cannot be trusted, yet we keep handing them pieces of ourselves.
We know which memories still hold power over us, yet we let them determine how we see today.
Sometimes the past becomes a place where other people can find us.
And that’s the part I want us to think about today.
If someone knows your regrets, your insecurities, your disappointments, your failures, or the places where you are still hurting, they may know exactly what to say to keep you from moving forward. They may remind you of who you used to be when God is trying to show you who you are becoming.
But here’s the good news: your past does not have to remain your address.
You can learn from what happened without having to keep living there.
You can forgive someone without giving them the same access to you.
You can acknowledge that you made mistakes without letting them become your identity.
You can remember what happened without allowing it to control what happens next.
And sometimes moving forward requires us to recognize that faith does not mean continuing to put ourselves in the same place where we have already been wounded.
God can give us grace and wisdom at the same time.
Maybe that’s why Proverbs says the prudent person sees danger and takes refuge. In other words, wisdom notices the warning signs.
That’s important because faith is not pretending danger doesn’t exist. Faith can mean having enough wisdom to recognize it and enough courage to move differently.
So today, here’s the question I want to leave with you:
What parts of your past are you still handing to other people?
Your past is supposed to be a teacher, not a landlord.
A teacher helps you learn and move forward.
A landlord keeps collecting rent.
And perhaps it’s time to stop paying rent on a place God has already told you to leave.
Your past happened.
It may have shaped you.
It may have hurt you.
It may have taught you some lessons you never wanted to learn.
But it does not get to decide where you go from here.
Don’t allow what happened yesterday to keep controlling what God is doing in you today.
I’ll see you tomorrow for another 15 Minutes with God.
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