Forget the Past
First published August 17, 2015
The other night I couldn’t sleep. Thoughts kept running through my mind about my job. I took a chance on something I thought would be an amazing opportunity and it ended up being so far from amazing.
If only…
My thoughts keep me awake. I feel restless and anxious. I toss and turn and watch the minutes go by - robbed of my sleep and robbed of my peace.
Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes we miss a deadline. We speak when we should stay quiet. We slack off when we should stay late. Sometimes the mistake affects us on a larger scale. Our title changes, our finances change, and when this happens our life can drastically change. The key is to not let one mistake (even a big one) keep us awake at night.
When I realized the thoughts weren’t going away on their own, I did something we should all do when the night lacks sleep and peace. I quieted myself before God, and I opened His word. If you don’t have the Bible app on your phone, I highly recommend it. Not only does it offer numerous devotionals and studies, but it has this awesome bookmark feature that allows you to save your favorite verses and refer back to them any time.
God showed me a verse I saved months ago in Isaiah (43:18-19)… ‘Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.’
How can I forget about what’s happened? What if it’s more than not receiving credit for a project, or being passed over for a promotion? Can I really leave that situation in the past when I’m still living in its aftermath?
Look at Isaiah 43:16-17. It asks us to hear what God has to say, but first it describes the God we are to listen to: ‘This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves…’
It’s no accident this description was included. It doesn’t describe God as pointing us to a road leading out of the ocean. It doesn’t say he showed us a path through the waves. No, our God builds and carves.
He creates something out of nothing.
Maybe you’ve made a huge mess out of your career. Maybe it’s not what you thought, and you’re miles away from where you want to be. It was one mistake. It’s one detour. Forget the past – don’t keep going over it and over it in your mind. Any wrong you’ve done can’t cancel out the right He is doing. Remember, God can make something out of nothing, including your career.