For my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing. (Psalm 31:10)
I remember telling God this after I had returned to Him. I thought my life was over even though I had been set free from bondage. God had other plans. It had seemed to myself as though whatever damage I had done to my body and all the sin I had committed was too much to be rectified, too great a destruction had taken place in my soul for restoration to be possible. I was wrong! God has renewed my youth as the eagles. He has restored my life out of His mercy. His kindness is great. His loving kindness is greater than life. God does restore the lost years. When Jesus starts a work in our lives, He makes all things new. There is nothing too hard for our God. He is willing and able to do exceedingly and abundantly far above what we can ask or think. Trust Him.
The process of healing is not without pain, however, it is full of amazing details that bring us closer to the Lord as we learn to lean on Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us, so no longer fret the lost years but rather look forward to the good things God has planned for our future as He walks us through our todays. If we are always looking back to who we used to be, we are settings ourselves up for a fall. You can not have your head turned backward if you are running in a race, if you do, you will never reach the finish line. Ever notice that the rearview mirror of a car is tiny compared to the huge front plate window? That rear view mirror gives us just enough insight to what is behind us, while the forward window gives us a clear view of where we are going. Our past is to be glanced at every once in a while to remind us of where we have come from. A glimpse every now and then to remind us of what not to go back to. Our past is not to be lived in but used as an example of what we can teach others from our mistakes and remain ever the more grateful to God for bringing us out of darkness.
Do not despair in grief but rather rejoice in the One who loves and saved you. We have everything to be happy about and know that our citizenship is in heaven. Keep in mind what 2 Corinthians 4:17 says,
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
Pastor Michael Cannatello
The Ministry of Michael Cannatello TMMC
