"Forgetting the terrible past" was the theme for the Men's Missionary Union (MMU) of the Nigerian Baptist Convention emphasis week. Yesterday the men in my church observed theirs.
I go to a baptist church so every year the MMU of each church are expected to observe an emphasis week where they observe a bunch of activities throughout the week and then round it up with a Sunday service.
I am a Christian by faith and I believe God sent Jesus Christ to the world to die for our sins and all that.
Every Sunday I go to church without actually expecting anything to come out of the Sunday service. Yesterday wasn't an exception. Some Sundays give a thing or two to learn while others got me moved by the ministrations of songs.
I got dressed, got my bible, and headed for church. My church auditorium is big but not enough members to fill it up so looking for a place to sit wasn't a problem.
It wasn't any different from the usual Sunday service until the main program of the day started. This was when the theme for the emphasis Sunday was revealed.
Just like every other Sunday I wasn't really expecting something special, only went in there with an open mind ready to let God do his thing.
So I'm just going to go straight to what I eventually learned from the service. I took note of some things from the service yesterday in my head because I didn't take my phone with me to church yesterday and I find it hard to go with a pen and notebook.
Firstly we had a little look into what a terrible past is. Three people were given the chance to give their definition of a terrible past is.
But for me, a terrible past consists of those things we did or got into that we are not proud of or those things that really messed us up either physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, or even spiritually.
Our terrible past can also consist of things other people did to us. Some of which might include an abusive partner, a cheating partner, experiences with bullies in school, an abusive childhood, or even an accident you had in the past.
Holding on to your past can actually stop you from living and enjoying the present and it also makes you blind to the possibilities of a better future.
Now, letting go of such pasts can be very difficult and that is something I actually went through. I spent a lot of time holding to my past and blaming myself for everything I had been through.
I am going to make a list of steps I think you should take if you are ready to let go of your past. It can be difficult sometimes but it is totally worth it. So here are the steps;
1. Admit that you have a terrible past: Admitting you have a terrible past is a very important first step to take if you are willing to let go of that past. You are human.
2. Forgive yourself: I know we've all made bad decisions and taken wrong actions that might have cost us a lot, but when you continuously blame yourself for your wrong decisions and the outcome you are basically living in the past. And until you forgive yourself and let go of that guilt you won't be able to function properly and move forward.
3. Forgive others: As I said before, your terrible past might include what other people did to you. Forgiving people for what they did to you is also a very important step in letting go of the terrible past. We've gotten hurt by some people in the past and until you forgive them you'll still remain in the past.
An illustration was given by the preacher yesterday. He said the grudges you hold against people and the things you refuse to forgive are like chains holding you back. Until you forgive them you won't be able to move freely and get to places destined for you.
I am also working on this part of myself and I hope you also do the same. It's time we let go of our terrible past and live a free and purposeful life from now on.
THANKS FOR READING