Years ago, I read a daily devotional that moved me so much that I copied the page and taped it to the front of my Dream Book. I read it every morning, and I want to share with you the message that touched me so deeply. The message itself is short, but the meaning is not. As a result, I will break down my thoughts over three posts.

The short version of the message is this: it takes courage to dream big dreams, and to discover that courage, one must do these three things:

1 – Accept the Past;

2 – Trust God to handle the Future, and;

3 – Make the most of the time that He has given you Today.

Let’s start with the first one. Have you accepted the Past – really? Look, we all have a Past. That Past is full of good things, people, events…and some bad. Many people will hold onto the bad, while casting aside their memories of the good. Then there are some people who hold onto the bad, but recall much of the good as well.

But it is rare to find people who accept the Past, and move forward with their lives.

I am not saying that we should live Pollyanna lives, and just pretend that everything in the Past was great. (Insert your favorite version of the joke about “the river in Egypt” here.) What I am saying is that there is nothing we can do about the Past – except to learn from it. There are many quotes and songs about the importance of doing this, and yet so few people actually do this in their lives.

The sooner that you accept your Past, the sooner you will start creating a better Tomorrow for yourself. What is your option? Well, you could hold onto your past mistakes, regrets and lapses of judgment if you want. Before you decide to choose that option, you may want to ask yourself some questions:

– How will my life be blessed by holding onto my Past?
– Will holding onto my Past bless others’ lives?
– How will I be able to help people when my hands are busy carrying my emotional junk?
– How will God be able to hand blessings over to me when my hands are full of such baggage?

You have a choice to make: Accept your past as it is and move forward with your life , or hold onto your baggage, wallow in self-pity, and slowly melt your life away in misery. The choice is yours.

I am sure you will make the right choice