“Our conversation with them made me think about our past — our mistakes — and it makes me wish our story was different.”
I spoke those words recently to my husband as we were getting ready for bed. We are premarital mentors at our church, and that night discussed healthy physical and emotional boundaries with one of our couples.
We shared our mistakes and the parts of our story that aren’t my favorite. It is humbling to confess that the two of us did not wait until we were married to have sex, and explain that during most of our dating relationship, Jason didn’t see anything wrong with spending one-on-one time with other females. Instead of celebrating how far we have come or praising God for using us in spite of our mistakes, our conversation left me feeling sad and defeated.
Satan whispered to me that I am a failure. My insecurity flared up leaving me to question if, despite our established boundaries, does Jason still hang out with females at his work without me knowing?
That night, I silently cried myself to sleep.
The next morning, the Lord led me to Isaiah 43:18-19,
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!
The day my heart needed it the most, the Lord encouraged me to forget the former things.
Forget them!
- Do not call them to mind.
- Remember them not.
- Don’t ponder them.
- Think not of them.
As soon as I read those words, I burst into tears. But unlike the night before, these weren’t tears of shame or fear. They came from being on the receiving end of love, truth, and grace. Instead of discouragement, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. The Lord, through His Word, ministered to me in such a personal way.
He is doing a new thing!
God doesn’t just repair our brokenness; he re-creates us!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ~ Colossians 3:10
Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.~ Isaiah 1:18
I want to be a woman and a wife who lives in the freedom that comes in walking in the truth. No longer will I dwell on the past, relive every hurt, and continually regret all of my wrong choices. Armed with the truth of God’s Word, I will march forward, in the shadow of my Creator’s wing, admiring every new thing He is doing.
What in your life is God saying to you,”Forget the former things”?
darby dugger
Erica says
I have the same problem! Thank you Aunt Darby. 💙
Darby Dugger says
You’re welcome, sweet Erica! Let’s make sure to hold each other accountable to forgetting the former things! Love you.
Heather Bock says
I’m so thankful for this truth, that I am not who I was and that God is making me new. Sometimes it IS easy to go back and dwell on the old. So glad for the new!
Darby Dugger says
Yes! We can make the times we look on the past as a time of praise for all He has done. So thankful!