Your past does not define you but your decisions do.

When you think about the past I imagine you think about all the great memories/experiences you shared with your loved ones, you might have thoughts on how easy things used to be. You lived in a world where everything seemed to be filled with laughter and happiness. Oblivious about what was to come as you transitioned from adolescence to adulthood. Now as an adult everything you believed about your past/upbringing you now realise was not as glamorous as you thought it was, behind that smile you may have felt abandoned/neglected, you may have seen your parents struggle wondering how they were going to take care of you and your siblings this week, or you may have been exposed to a form of abuse which till this day you are yet to tell anyone because you fear that if you spoke out your perpetrators might punish you. These experiences are enough to make anyone feel anxious because they don't know what life is going to throw at them next, insecure because they feel like they are not good enough and no one will understand them. This then might lead someone to isolate themselves from everyone else and this is always where the devil wants us. In isolation. Life can really have you doubting your whole reality and even have you wondering whether your life has a purpose or not.

When you really deep things, it is crazy how our past has significant implications on how we think about life in general, the fascinating thing is that we can counteract this feelings. We know life will come with its challenges but they do not have to define us. One thing I have learnt on my journey so far is that God has a plan for us all, we are all designed with gifts, each and every one of us have something special about ourselves. Some of us have the ability to light up the room with our presence alone, others have the ability to speak healing into the lives of others, some of us have the ability to make people laugh, and others have the ability to pick up on energy, they know when people are happy or sad they can read the room really well. There are many other gifts, but these are the few that come to mind. I remember one morning I was reading the bible and I stumbled across this verse from Matthew 9: 9-13, “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Bible.com, n.d). This verse made me think about myself, the times when I thought that God wouldn't accept me because of my mistakes, this verse was proof that Jesus did not care about this, he cared enough about the tax collects and sinners to sit with them despite what other people thought about them. God does not care about what you did years ago he cares about what you do now. Ephesians 4: 22-24, tells us to "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Bible.com, n.d). In simple words out with the old and in with the new, no one can determine the course of your life but God, not your past, not your insecurities, and not your depression or anxiety. Think about it, how many people do you know in your life that have made a bad mistake in their life and bounced back from it. They have impacted their communities, they have helped others and everything they desired God has given to them. Wherever you turn someone is living proof of this despite what you think about them. I really would love if you could use this week to reflect on what I just said and identify how God has changed the lives of many people around you.

Challenge for this week 

Learn a new way to fight back, get rid of the old playbook and replace it with a new one the enemy has seen your playbook so many times that they know your next play. Sometimes the enemy is within, prove to yourself that you are more than capable, show yourself that you are in control, not your insecurities, not your past but you. We have access to so many resources we just need to learn how to use them! Try therapy, join a support group, attend church, read your bible, and most importantly develop your own relationship with God. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great week! 

Instagram: Lekzmotivate - DM me or here if you would like further insight!

References 

Ephesians 4: ESV bible: Youversion. YouVersion | The Bible App | Bible.com. (n.d.-a). https://www.bible.com/bible/59/EPH.4.ESV 

Mark 9: ESV bible: Youversion. YouVersion | The Bible App | Bible.com. (n.d.-c). https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MRK.9.ESV