You can't change what you've done but you can change what you do.

Phillippians 3:13-14 

13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. 14. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 

The past is the past, what has happened has happened. We can't (try as we might) go back in time and fix all the mistakes we've made. Now, if we've hurt someone we can go back to them and ask for forgiveness. But, we can not take back what we've said or what we've done. 

You can't change what you've done but you can change what you do. 

Paul had an interesting past to say the least. At least in this time in his life as he writes this letter to Phillippi, he has made amazing progress in the Christian walk. He had done things no one had ever done before. But, no doubt, he still carried a little bit of the baggage from his life before he met Christ. But in chapter 3 in verse 13 of the book of Phillippians Paul comes to the point where he says; hey I don't know everything, I don't understand why everything has happened but, I'm choosing to forget what has happened and move on. He chose to forget, forgive himself and press on. 

But if you read verse 13 you must notice the tense he uses. Take a look at the word "forgetting". He didn't say he just one day woke up and forgot all that he had done and was able to easily press on and press towards the mark/goal. Rather, he woke up every day and chose to forget and he chose to press on. It has to be a daily effort! Just like the Christian life is a DAILY battle! I'm sure that Paul was consistently reminded of all the things he did but he chose to keep forgetting and forgiving himself and press on!! 

We should do the same. I know I'm constantly reminded of the wrong I've done and the people I've hurt. I'm sure you've been reminded as well. 

But our first step should choosing daily to forget what we've done and to forgive ourselves. Our second step is to press towards the mark, the high calling of God. 

God can use anybody who has a willing heart! It doesn't matter what you've done, where you've been or where you are at right now. God has a purpose and a plan for you. 

You can't change what you've done, but you can change what you do. 

A New Beginning. (Being Content)

It certainly has been a MASSIVELY long time since I've posted anything on this blog, but I'd say that now would be a good time to start again. Considering that major changes have been made and yet again major changes will come. A few months ago I made the trip from Florida to Georgia and then from Georgia to Kansas. Sure, it has had it's ups and downs and good times and bad times, but I haven't really made it all that it could be.

Eleanor Roosevelt Once said, "Life is what you make it. Always has been, always will be."

In other words life can be absolutely miserable or life can be really, really good. Either way it is all up to you.

In the past I hadn't thought much of that little statement until today. People would always say, and still do say, "Oh life is what you make it." Those seven words became white noise to me. It would go in one ear and out the other.

Now it has never been more clear to me that there is a lot of truth to that statement.

So lets look at two different scenarios

Lets take two groups of people stuck in the same situation, where all the power is out and all they have is a two flashlights and some water given to them by the people who owned the building.

One group decided to that'd they would play a game and have some fun with it, while the other group sat around and griped about how miserable their situation was.

Who do you think had more fun?

You know Paul talks about something similar to this in Philippians Chapter 4.

Paul mentions in verse 12 that he knows how to be abased and he know how to abound.

Philippians 4:12
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

So all that to say that I/we need to learn to do the same. We need to learn to be content in the situation God has put us in. God won't always give us a reason for putting us into the situation but there always is one. Whether you find out right away or ten years down the road there is ALWAYS a reason. So you can chose to be bitter or you can chose to be joyful. You can chose to chase after God or you can chose to sit still and do nothing. The choice is yours. Being content is not always is easy but it can be done through a little help from God. God offers us a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and all we have to do is ask. That peace is literally right at the tips of our fingers.

Not only should we be content, we can make the most of the time that God has given us. Like I said before people say it all the time "Life is what you make it." So instead of griping about the situation your in be determined to make that situation a good time. There is always a brighter side to things weather we see it or not.

So I pray that all of us learn, in any situation to be content. I pray we learn to be Abased and to abound. I pray that we can learn trust in God no matter where we are and what we are doing.