Echoes from the Past

We can be troubled and held back because of past sins, but we know that in Christ, there is
forgiveness. Micah chapter 7 says:
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

We have been created by an all-knowing Creator God, and we have been made to have a relationship with Him.  We have been placed in a fallen world, and we carry with us the sin nature of our ancestors.  But, the good news is through Christ, our past can be wiped away and our future can be so promising in Him.  When we are reminded what has gone before, we can remember what is true Biblically about who we are and celebrate His redemptive power and presence.

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Paul knew a thing or two about a troubled past - the great persecutor of Christians became the proclaimer of the gospel, the writer of much of the New Testament.  He recognized and embraced the
new creation that God had worked in his heart. Philippians 3 states:
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The divisional round of the NFL playoffs gets underway this weekend and there are only eight teams left in the quest for the Super Bowl.  Two of the teams are NFC divisional rivals who split their season series in two dramatic games: the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Prior to the teams' December 27 game in Seattle, a former player who is seen in the "Fansville" series of Dr Pepper commercials hoisted the traditional "12th Man" flag prior to the game.  He is Brian Bosworth, the former Oklahoma and Seattle linebacker who was known for his outlandish appearance and his aggressive play.

After that was announced by the team on social media, according to ChristianHeadlines.com, "the Boz" received some pushback.  The article states that someone named Tammy wrote on Twitter: “I was a young mother working a job in retail when ‘Boz’ was playing for Seattle," adding, "He came through my check out line one day and was extremely rude. He actually said ‘do you know who I am???’ I didn’t at the time, but I will never forget how he made me feel. Not a fan.”  The article continues:

Bosworth saw her Tweet and quickly responded, telling her he had changed.

“So sorry that our interaction was unpleasant when I was young,” he wrote, “... back then I tended to be all about me & nothing about HIM … standing alone is being in darkness … being close to HIM life is very bright and full of Grace so our next interaction will be much brighter @Tammy80008759.”

Tammy was among those who responded to Brian's tweet, writing: “Thank you, Brian for taking the time to apologize, it means a lot to me. My dad, Pastor Red, was right about you changing and I can’t wait to call him and tell him about this. I am sorry for my harsh words.”

The article goes on to relate:

Bosworth previously told CBN News that his father’s death sparked his search for meaning and purpose in life.

“I had my grandmother who was very faithful to the relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said. “You know, when you’re a little kid you don’t understand the impact of how that’s going to resonate for the rest of your life. All of my choices were keeping me from human love and from my father’s love. And the only way I’m going to fix that is if I decide to break the chains and get on my knees and finally say, ‘I can’t do this by myself and I can’t do it without you.’”

In addition to his appearances in "Fansville," where he will apparently confront "Bigfan" during Monday night's National Championship, Brian has been seen in a number of Christian films, including, Do You Believe?, the Revelation Road series, and the film in which the Benham Brothers and Kevin Sorbo were involved recently, The Reliant, produced by Patrick Johnston, the husband of Elizabeth, known as "The Activist Mommy."

I think there are some important principles here.  For one thing, our past has been redeemed by Christ, and when our past is brought up by others, we can testify to the change that is ours in Him.  The Bible tells us that our sins are cast into the sea of forgetfulness.  And, when we connect with people or incidents from our past, it gives an opportunity to testify to the power of God.

Our past does not have to define us.  Certainly, we can and should learn from positive and negative experiences that we have walked through, but there is no way to change it.  We are who Christ says we are here and now, facing a bright future with Him. When the enemy reminds us of our past, we can look to the future, and even, as it's been said, remind him of his future.

Finally, the echoes of the past have the potential to haunt us.  And, that is a strategy that the enemy uses to essentially keep us imprisoned.  But, the empowerment of the Lord has the potential to heal us.  Our failures, sins, and the sins that people have committed against us do not have to hold us back - we can look to Him for strength and comfort.