Future proof

On Grand father duties last weekend I got to watch the Lion king 2.0. Pumbaa said some pretty funny things one of which was, “You got to put your behind in your past.” Well so long as you are moving forward, I guess that is always going to be true, but I think we know what he meant. Our past could have been awesome or average. The problem with the past is that it is exactly that; the past. Isaiah the prophet speaks to us for God, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert” (Isa 43:18-19).

New things from God can only spring forth today or tomorrow and the only place He promises to make a road in the wilderness is in your future. Even God cant change the past he can only change the meaning of the past.  He can’t change what happened but He re-interprets it, changing the impact of what happened and uses it for our good. While we can’t undo the sad and painful events of our life, thank God, He can totally remove the guilt and shame of every mistake we have made. .

But even the great things that have happened to or through us, are already just a memory.  Some people and even some companies, bask in the success of the past and it limits them. It may be a great memory but it will fade fast.  To live focused on our history rather that our destiny will mean we will only ever be what we were. Does the past have any value at all?  Of course, because God uses difficult pasts and amazing pasts to make us long for Gods “new thing” and bring us to the place where we were ready for Him and the bright future He is planning for us.

The past is set but the future is flexible and flowing with Gods river. The future is your future. Your unfulfilled dreams can only come to pass in the future. The place you can make things different and the only place you can meet with God is in the future, starting right now. 

Friend, Its time to dream again. Don’t settle for what you have become or where you are, but look for the road He is making into the wilderness. You shall know it because, as you focus on Gods future, although it will be a road you have not been on before, you'll find that He is there, His rivers flow there and as you stay focussed on Him, you'll find yourself there too.