Past, Present and Future

What do we do with these three "time zones"?

Sometimes we may want to live in the past. It may be tempting to think of "the good old days" as being something greater than they really were. Other times we may find things in the past which we wish to forget, that were difficult or painful. Or there may be things we regret that we have said or done. Sometimes they are even little things that we kick ourselves for every time we remember them. Sometimes we can get stuck in the past, mourning our losses over and over. It is important not to dwell on the past but to remember all of those things with perspective, the good and the bad, and acknowledge God's presence through all of it - his blessings in the good things, his mercy for bringing us through the hard times, and his grace in using all of it for our good in the long run.

Sometimes it is hard to focus on the present. There may be distractions from the past, or worries about the future. Our current circumstances may not be very pleasant or uplifting. We may become depressed about our situation. Some of us may even have difficulty being "present" in a relationship, always yearning for something else, or hiding ourselves out of fear of being hurt, etc. Others simply move through life without fully engaging themselves, simply going through the motions without making the most of opportunities that present themselves. God wants us to live fully in him, be his witness to other people, and be a tool for him in their lives. To do that, we must live in the moment with God as our focus. God is doing great things in our lives in the here and now and can work through us to touch other's lives!

And what about the future? It is beyond our control, yet many times we try to make a certain outcome occur. We may have fears about our future and worry about what might happen. Or we may go overboard the other way and brag about what we think is going to occur, which may never actually materialize. The future is in God's hands, and he has our best interests at heart. We can trust in him. And if there are future blessings to receive, we can be patient and give him the glory when they occur.

This is all illustrated beautifully in Isaiah:

Past} "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Present} See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland,
Future} to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise." Isaiah 43:18-21 NIV
Amen!

The past, it is over; the future is yet to be.
This moment is the present only temporarily.
Each hour passes by us; then becomes a memory;
What once was future time, is now, don't you see?
We cannot change the past; for our own good God used it, and
regret need not befall us. "Now, go witness," his command.
Worry not what the future brings, for God holds us in his hand.
He'll bless us and redeem us; by grace through faith we stand.

Written by Jan A