What if you just blindly accepted that everything that occurred in your past was to prepare you for what God has planned for your future?
I am old enough to remember meeting many WWII veterans and people who had their lives interrupted by the psychotic goals of madmen in Germany and Japan. It was such an epiphany for me that these men and women that I looked up to with gratitude and admiration for literally saving the World, were young boys and girls when they accepted the greater call of service and sacrifice. These boys and girls put their lives on hold. Too many suffering incomprehensible trauma and yet too many more, giving their life for the greater good. So humbling to consider.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 NLT
As I was privileged to get to know some of these WWII veterans a common theme emerged. As I asked them about the war, about their experiences, about their heroism (and they were/are heroes), there was a beautiful, humble, acknowledgment of their brothers and sisters and always a deflecting of attention from what they did to what all those around them did. Beautiful.
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” 1 Peter 3:8 ESV
The amazing veterans saved the World as young boys and girls. They suffered and were exposed to trauma too horrible to comprehend and quietly, humbly, purposefully came back to their homes with the singular desire to build a life. There was a commitment to the greater good. There was a desire to leave the past in the past and focus on the current and future. These boys and girls accepted the calling on their lives to become fathers and mothers, citizens, leaders and for many, Christ followers.
For these veterans and those who followed in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars, the lesson is accepting the circumstances that we are placed and using these experiences for good. I realize that issues resulting from these traumatic experiences exist. I also see that from these groups have emerged great leaders, great providers of love. Great builders of our County and countries around the World. From these groups we can see and learn that how we start does not determine how we finish.
We determine how we finish. We decide to trust, accept and take steps forward in faith. Or, the decision can and is all to often being made to blame past experiences for lives limited and purpose unfulfilled. Consider that a victim mentality denies God’s deity and purpose for our lives.
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:3-6 MSG
So my question to you again is what if you chose to accept your past as a training ground for your future? What if your prayer becomes ‘thank you, God, for the life experiences and roads travelled as preparation to help others dealing with similar trauma and confusion?’ What if you choose to live a regret free life? What if you surrender the ‘victim’ and accept the empowered and experientially blessed person that you are? What if you choose to use bad for good? What if your past is worth the future that God has for you?
You can! You can! You can! It is!
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13 NLT
You’ve got this.