“Be careful about glancing back at the past…It’s possible to get pulled back to a place you no longer belong. Savor the memories, take the lessons, but keep moving forward in this hour.” (Jolynne Whittaker)
When I posted one of my questions to ponder for the day on my blog recently that asked what was the worst day you can remember and to name one positive thing that was done to deal with that day, one of the responses I received was similar to today’s quote. In short, they said, “You can look back, but don’t stare.” There is great wisdom in this comment, because it’s actually quite easy to look back into the past at something that was exceedingly painful and get caught back up in that pain all over again. Just as much as it’s very easy to look back into the past at something that was incredibly wonderful and start feeling like life was far better way back when. I’ve been guilty of doing both, falling into anger and frustration if I dwelled too long on things like my parent’s tragic deaths and former intimate relationships that fell apart, or reminiscing on what I perceived as a much better life before much of the physical pain I’m currently working on healing from started. But neither has ever been that helpful to my spiritual journey and quest to become closer to God. Instead, they’ve kept me from moving forward and seeing any presence of God in the moment. That’s why these days I may still reflect on those painful or uplifting experiences from my past at times, but I do so now with one caveat. I treasure all the lessons I learned from them, and seek to only share the positive things that came out of them, hoping it will help inspire others who may be going through something similar in the present. I feel much healthier because of this and want to thank the reader who inspired me to write today’s daily reflection.
I pray that I may never forget my past, nor all the lessons I learned from each of my experiences there, painful or not, and that I may keep moving forward, always doing my best to share my experience, strength, and hope, which I learned through them all.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
