Running With New Takkies

Recently there have been various protests and debates at UCT to remove the Rhodes statue, as many find it offensive due to what Cecil Rhodes stood for and did in the past. Now that's all good and well to stand up for what you believe in, so this is no offense to anyone, but this situation got me thinking about how we, as people, hang onto the past.

It's almost as if we physically struggle to move on. The thing is, the past is the past, and just because something bad happened, doesn't mean it has to affect your future. However, if we're being honest, I think there's always one or two things that we hang on to and let affect us. Maybe you had a bad break up and now you struggle to trust other significant others, or maybe you were bullied about something in primary school and now you're still struggling with that insecurity. I am guilty myself. This may sound silly, but a few people would comment on my hairy arms in primary school and even today I'm shy about them, especially around boys! (To whoever is reading this, just know I promise I'm not some cave woman with arms that are so hairy they look like a blanket, they're not that bad... I hope!:P ) 

Holding onto the past will hurt you and make it harder to move on. Think about it : if you're running a long race but you're still wearing your broken takkies from ten years ago, it's going to be pretty hard and pretty sore to finish that race, and I definitely don't think you'd be able to achieve as well as if you had worn newer, not broken shoes. 

There's the perfect example of this in Numbers where God told the Israelites that they had to stay in the desert for 40 years (Numbers 32:13). Why? Because they were hung up on the past and not trusting God. Basically, God called this guy Moses to lead His chosen people, the Israelites, out of slavery by the Egyptians, into a new place He was preparing for them. So Moses got them out of Egypt after some really tough negotiation and a few plagues, but while they were traveling to this new land, the Israelites got cranky and said it had actually been better for them in Egypt and they should have stayed there! I'm sorry, but I think anything is better than being a slave. But you see, the Israelites were hung up on the past and didn't want to move on when the going got tough. They hadn't  traded in their old, broken takkies for their new, not broken ones (what's the word for not broken? Think my brain's on holiday today!) 

The Bible actually warns us several times not to hinder on the past. Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Isaiah 43:18-19, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

As you can see, even God is telling us to move on, He knows what's best for us. It's true, bad things happen and sometimes moving on is super difficult, but when you learn to move forwards instead of staying tied back; that is when you will uncover some of the best things in life. 

God creates newness, and once you're in Him, you are a new creation. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

If you've done or experienced bad things in your past, that all goes away once you've surrender your life to God. He will give you the newest, most non-brokenest (#NewWord)  pair of takkies you could ever wish for. He will give you the strength to move on to new heights and experience things you never thought was even possible. There is a catch however: you actually have to let Him catapult you to new heights. Sometimes it's hard to trust God, but it's only when we trust Him and have faith that we are able to reach these new heights.

Don't let the past define who you are. You can create your own definition of yourself and that definition is up to you; will you choose the world's definition or God's definition of your life? 

Hebrews 12:1-2

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Get ready to run the rest of your earthly race with God holding your hand. Stop worrying about the past, it's only going to cause wrinkles and a broken heart! Let God's newness flow in you. Ask Him to help you finish this race to the best of your ability.

Think about it, life is hard enough as it is. Why add to that by hindering on past things that you can't change? Learn from it and try not to make those mistakes in the future. Put on those takkies, and 

Run, Forest, run!