We all have a certain stigma
concerning the past. Things are usually said like “don’t bring up the past” in
a sharp tone, or “forget the past” and so on. Though I understand the negative
side of the past and the power it can wield over a future, it still can’t be
ignored nor can it not be learned from. The past can be one of our greatest educational
experiences in preparing us for a better future. I said this recently and I
think this sums up the downside of past failures.
Don’t give past failures the power to neutralize your future
successes. Don’t abort possibilities and goals by building monuments to past
experiences that brought no reward. Instead, learn, persevere, and try again.
Never give up what you know is possible!
However… the upside.
Thomas Jefferson realized the impact
on the future that correct teaching of history would be in guiding the future
of a nation. He wrote, “History, by apprizing them [students] of the past, will
enable them to judge of the future.” We understand that living in the past, or
the rehearsing of previous hurts, is a detriment to progress both individually
and corporately. However, what we learn from the past will affect our
behavior determining whether we increase the timeline of our growth, or remain
stuck in a past destroying hope for a better tomorrow. Living in the
present is not an isolated position. Ignoring the past and thinking the future
doesn’t exist is believing the present is isolated. Our present has one arm
connected to our past while the other is connected to our future. The past has
shaped our present and our present will shape our future. Interestingly, we are
not bound by our past because we can change decisions in our present to reshape
our future. If you do not like the past – change the future by sowing seeds (making
different decisions) in the present to change the future.
Destiny is your
experience created by your decisions.
Right now was your future a year ago… 10 years ago… 30 years ago. My decisions
created my present which was my future – my destiny. I can talk about my future
and my hopes and aspirations, but it will remain a pipe-dream if I don’t make
decisions to create it. My future will always remain there and fleeting if I
never make a decision to make it a reality. Vision should not remain a vision
the whole life – it’s a destination to be reached, a goal to be experienced. My
wife Laci once said “You won’t see an ending without first seeing the
vision, and without taking action, the experience will be dead.”
Leadership not only creates a
personal future, but our decisions create the future of others who live under
the consequences of our decisions. Those in spiritual leadership can recall
Adam and Eve. Governmental leadership can recall all despots and tyrants both
current and past and how their personal decisions subjected all citizens to be
submitted to their consequences. Adolf Hitler subjected all of Germany to the
suffering consequences of his perilous decisions.
We in leadership have been given
something called power which is the faculty or capacity to act, the strength
and potency to accomplish something. It is the vital energy to make choices and
decisions. We possess the steering wheel to provide direction for a country.
Spiritual leadership of a nation is
extremely important to providing the keys to a principle reformation in each
nation. Returning to a political principled approach in government establishes
trust in the people, promotes development and innovation, and creates a
national calm and peace. These are just a few of the benefits of such a
revival. Instead of bemoaning the failing systems, the personnel in office, bad
policies, spiritual leadership should instead do what they are supposed to do –
LEAD!
I would like to call the spiritual
leadership to look at the following.
Romans 15:4 – For whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Hebrews 10:32 – But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after
ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
1 Corinthians 10:6 – Now these things were our examples, to the intent
we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Once we learn objectively from our
past, the quality of our decisions in the present improve, and our future
becomes brighter.