I know that we have heard a lot that our past does not define who we are. Yeah, so what? Why does this matter? Well, I am going to tell you because it truly does matter.

We all have things that we have done in our past that we really wish that we had not done. If you are like me, you wish you could go back and change what happened. But… you can’t. This makes it so very easy to just dwell on what happened causing us to not move forward or get over it. You may even feel like you can’t do anything in the future because of your past. You just have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself to move on.

I like to think about one of the lessons I learned this summer at a lake retreat with my church. We discussed the 12 disciples. What was really emphasized was what they had done in their past before they moved forward. One was a tax collector, which in those days meant that they cheated people out of their money. One doubted that Jesus had died and risen again, and he would not believe “Unless [he] [saw] the nail marks in his hands and put [his] finger where the nails were, and put [his] hand into his side” (John 20:25). Another denied that he even knew Jesus not once but three times. This seems like real sins, sins that might hold someone back. Thinking that “I am not worthy enough to move on and do what is good and right.” However, the disciples did not let their past hold them back. Matthew the tax collector followed Jesus and even wrote a book of the bible. Peter who denied Jesus went on to risk his life and die telling other people the good news about his friend Jesus.

I know that not everyone reading this wants to hear about the bible; however, I don’t really care. Plus, I believe we all can learn from other people and what they went through. I know that hearing these stories really helped me to realize that it does not matter what you have done, it only matters what you will do. You can be forgiven for what you have done in your past. You just need to be willing to forgive yourself for whatever happened. Once you forgive yourself, you can move forward in life. Once you move forward, then you can do some amazing things.

I am one of those people who believes that you can do anything you set your mind. You can be successful in what you love. However, letting your past define who you are, letting it hold you back, will not get you anywhere in this crazy world. For those Disney fans like me, you know the quote from The Lion King about your past that Rafiki told Simba which is a great lesson for all of us. “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it you can either run from it or learn from it.” So, what are you going to do? Are you going to let your past define you? Or are you going to learn from you past and know that it doesn’t matter what you have done, but what you will do? You decide!