Don’t gloss over your past. Your past can be a great teacher if you let it. Gordon MacDonald wrote, “If your yesterdays are in a state of good repair, they provide strength for today. If not repaired, they create havoc.”
Most of us respond to our past in one of two ways, which are both inadequate. We either ignore our past or we let it own us. Neither approach is healthy. In every car, there is a huge windshield and a small rearview mirror. That way, we can make our future our main focus, while occasionally glancing back.
Paul suggested, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).
To stay in a healthy place, we need to look up and we need to look forward, while occasionally glancing back. Learn from your past, but don’t live there.
Recovery Step: Learn from your past, then move on.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
