Yesterday

While I think that 1 Corinthians 10:13 is taken out of context when it is used as a proof text that God will never give us more than we can bear as it is in reference to temptation not burden per se, I do believe that the principle of God limiting what we bear is found there: "God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear."  I most certainly believe that God does not put on us or allow us to be burdened beyond our ability to stand up under it.

However, that does not mean that he will not allow us to volunteer to bite off more than we can chew.  In point of fact, Jesus warns us directly, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matt 6:27).  Or, in other words, why bite off more than you can chew?

As burdensome as worrying about tomorrow can be, dragging up yesterday can be even more so as both the burdens and the blessings of yesterday can weigh us down and hold us back, the positive and the negative from the past can become an anchor slowing or even preventing forward motion.

Our fears developed in childhood, the abuses that followed us into our teens, the regrets from our youthful rash decisions can keep us from taking the next step, from enjoying a loving relationship, from accepting personal value.  The negatives of the past can easily be carried into the future and negate positives of today.  Mental health clinics are filled with individuals struggling with their past, alcohol bottles are emptied trying to forget the past.  The wounds of the past create the scars of today, which sometimes remain open wounds into the future.

Ironically, however, the positive memories from the past can mire us down in the present and keep us from progressing into the future.  Really?  Really!  Jesus told the parable of the Rich Farmer, who  decided to tear down his old barns and build new ones so that he could "'have plenty of grain laid up for many years [and told himself] take life easy; east, drink and be merry. But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded of you'" (Lk 12:19-20).

The abundance of his past harvest caused him to become selfish in his present life and steered him to a destructive future.  How many individuals, resting on their accomplishments of the past have become dull in the present, denying them the bright future they once had dreamed about?  How many children have been given everything only to become adults that don't have a clue how to provide for themselves?

The point is that living in the past or dragging the past with you into the present, keeps you from adequately progressing into the future.  It doesn't really matter whether you are reliving your glory days or stuck in your gory days.  The past must not be allowed to overshadow the present or cloud the future.

The circumstances and events of the past ought to be used only as lessons learned, which can help us choose our steps today that will guide us into the future.  The things we did right ought to be remembered and repeated.  The things we did wrong ought also to be remembered and avoided.

What we planted yesterday, we are reaping today (cf. Gal 1:7).  Sometimes, we even reap what someone else (i.e. alcoholic or over-indulgent parent) planted in our lives.  However, we can plant new seeds and have a new crop for the future.  That is what Jesus' invitation to "take my yoke upon you" (Matt 11:28-30) is all about.  He stands ready to help you plow up the old fields and plant a righteous and holy crop for a heavenly harvest.  Jus' Say'n.