Making Peace With Your Past

Quotes:

“Peace begins with a smile.” -Mother Teresa

"He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass." - George Herbert

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” ― Dalai Lama

“Peace is its own reward.” -Mahatma Gandhi

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." - Paul Boese

"To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness." - Robert Muller

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Juan 14: 27 “La paz os dejo, mi paz os doy; no os la doy como el mundo la da. No se turbe vuestro corazón, ni tenga miedo.”

The greater the percentage of time you are livening in the “past” proportionally diminishes the amount you are living in the “present”.

Don’t let your past take from your present, nor taint your future.

Make Peace with your past.

We have all been born into a war zone as a result of the curse of sin.

All of us to some degree have issues from our past that have to be properly dealt with so that we may truly, freely live.

"Just as a diamond cannot be polished without friction, a man cannot be perfected without trials." -Unknown

Joseph overcame a painful past. He was raised in a "dysfunctional family." One where sibling rivalry was taken to a whole new level.

Favoritism abounded and sadly hatred was a mainstay for the brothers. Joseph's brothers threw him into a pit and even discussed killing him.

They sold him into slavery. He was bought by Potiphar and Potiphar's wife made continual advances toward him and lied on him; causing him to be sent to prison. Joseph made friends and they forgot about him.

And yet, he never cursed God, nor hated himself. He overcame his past!

How was Joseph able to put all his painful past behind him?

What was his secret?

Joseph Actively Practiced Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is certainly not the easiest thing to do, but it is always the best.

Until you can forgive, the pain of your past will continue to be felt in your present.

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door and removes the handcuffs.

The key to Joseph’s success was that he choose to “forgive” and he choose to Live in the Present.

He choose to let go of yesterday so that he could live his today.

Paul had a past; He considered himself to have been "the worst of sinners."

Yet he believed that God's forgiveness would change his dark past into a bright future.

The fact of the matter is, that more often than not, overcoming of painful events in our past tends to make us more like Jesus.

Jesus was lied on, spit on, abused and beaten; He was mistreated, tortured and killed violently… Yet He in midst of His horrible suffering He said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 “1- Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2- Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebreos 12:1-2 “1 Por tanto, puesto que tenemos en derredor nuestro tan gran nube de testigos, despojémonos también de todo peso y del pecado que tan fácilmente nos envuelve, y corramos con paciencia[a] la carrera que tenemos por delante, 2 puestos los ojos en Jesús, el autor y consumador de la fe, quien por el gozo puesto delante de El soportó la cruz, menospreciando la vergüenza, y se ha sentado a la diestra del trono de Dios.”

“Lay aside every weight” “Past”.

All the pains, wrongs and hurts.

Lay them out before the Lord.

Give them to Him.

The Apostle Paul said, “13- Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14- I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 3:13-14