Accepting the Past and Changing the Future

You Can't Change Your History
The prophet Jeremiah asked: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?" (Jeremiah 13:23). The obvious answer is 'no'. Some things are unchangeable. Perhaps the most influential unchangeable factor in your life is your history. Your parents, good or bad, dead or alive, known or unknown, are your parents. That fact cannot be changed. Your childhood, pleasant or painful, is your childhood.

Our history is not to be changed, but accepted. We waste our time and energy when we ponder on what might have been. Admit your failures, accept the failures of others, and ask God to help you do something good with your future. No matter what has happened in the past, you can have good relationships in the future.

An Everyday Opportunity
What kind of person have you become through the years? Has your spirit been negative or positive toward life? One wife said, "My husband is so negative that when he wakes up in the morning he either says, "Oh, no, I over slept!" or, "Oh, no, I woke up too early!" Thousands of people choose to live life with just that attitude. Something is always wrong with everything.

Would you like to change? You can! Repeat this scripture aloud every morning: "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. If you proclaim this truth to yourself, you will begin to see God's hand. And, your relationships will improve.


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