WHO WAS THAT GUY?

Can you remember who you were at 16 years old?  Can you remember what occupied your mind or what you daydreamed about?  What were your motivations and inspirations for your decisions and actions?  What were your goals?  Why did you have THAT haircut?  Who was that guy?

In some ways, my life as a teenager seems like 100 years ago.  In others, it seems like it was not that long ago.  

In the 30+ years since those days, so many things have changed on so many levels.  Some of those changes are for the better...by far.  Some, maybe not so much.  I was skinny back then, barely shaving a wannabe mustache, and had a full head of hair.  But also, there was not even the slightest notion within me of the crazy Canote family circus life waiting just beyond the horizon!

Somedays, I think I would love to be that age again.  I can guarantee you one thing for sure.  I would definitely do a few things differently.  Other things, I would certainly not change one bit.  Of course, that is all a silly way to think either way.  We cannot change the past.  Yesterday was over last night - over as in, done and gone - finished.

The truth is that most attempts to analyze the past with an idea of protecting ourselves from being hurt in the future do not work. The only One who can effectively guard and protect you is your Creator.

It is easy to fall into the trap of believing we can handle our own trials and struggles in life.  

It is easy to fall for the stinking-thinking that our problems are too unique and specific, too insignificant, for God to care or to get involved.  But we cannot dwell on a problem, past or present, with any real hope for an answer to magically appear.  We must take our problems to the only One with real answers.  His name is Jesus.  He is patiently waiting for us to approach His throne in confidence, fully trusting Him to hear, understand, and to honor the promises of God.  We must reach forward with hope for what lies ahead and let go of the past.

Prayer -
Jesus, I know You hear me when I cry out to You.  And, You not only hear, but also respond to the faithful prayers of Your people.  Please forgive me for allowing the distractions of this temporary place to cause me to lose sight of who You are and who I am in Christ.  Amen.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  -- Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)

#Missions #Evident #MásDeTi