Letting go of the past can reshape the future

One of the drawbacks we face as humans is inability to say goodbye when the past is concluded. Our humanity tends to hold on to things that God is taking away from us; they never let go.

They are so engrossed with it to the detriment of the (stability of the) present and the security of the future. Yet they didn’t solve the problems associated with that past! One would ask, for what benefit then do they hold on to their past? All of us have our past; some good, others bad.

If the past was good, then hold onto it, but if it was bad, forget it and forge positively ahead. God is with us now and will go with us into the future to calm the storms and tempests of life. But we must let go the inhibitions our past can pose to us now or later. If we fail to do so, when the future catches up with us, we could run out of ideas and be caught unawares and unprepared.

Every human being has an experience of brokenness, but with sufficient reflection, our brokenness becomes part of the healing. If we spend the whole of life thinking about who or what had harmed us, we will not likely improve ourselves. Allow the past to strengthen your inner life and the future. It is better to concentrate on opportunities than on problems. Forget your wasted or unproductive years, but make use of the years you have ahead. Let us not forget that the lessons of the past will help us deal with the problems of “now”.

Let us accept our mistakes and move on. Let us accept God’s cleansing from our guilt. We do not have to hate life and ourselves too because with faith, we come to know and accept that the future is bright. Let each one leave out guilt and set new goals for the future. In the words of Patrick Henry, the dreams of the future are better than the history of the past. To dwell on your past is injustice to your future.

Every generation would have a problem and a past, but Apostle Paul says “My hope and trust is that I shall never admit defeat.” So accept hope and tap from the clues that will help you solve problems of the future. As you match into the future, be affectionate and never let your presence cause others to faint! If you fail to say goodbye to yesterday, you will continue to have unfinished businesses of life.

Every man should be a model worthy of emulation. He should be a shinning light to others and inspiration far beyond his own personal imagination. According to Edward H. Harriman, “It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear.” In the words of Henry W. Beecher, “We are always in the forge, or in the anvil, by trials God is shaping us for higher things.”

For Dale Carnegie, “You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. Fear does not exist anywhere except in the mind.” The one who wishes to leave the past behind would set achievable goals without fear but with tact and expectation. Even in the face of uncertainties, he must grow his faith into his achievable tasks; he believes that today won’t be another yesterday. This kind of faith keeps him going.

In setting goals therefore, we must focus our minds on the goals themselves. This will help us channel our energies into positive actions that would improve the circumstances of our lifetime. When we make positive contributions into our lives, we get the assurance of hope and reward at the right time. Step after step, as we move from one goal to another, so shall we gradually continue to reduce or avoid life’s unfinished business. If you care about life, life will care about you.

Maximise the use of your time and be conscious of where you want to reach if you want to live a satisfactory life. Unsatisfactory life is no life. Nobody would like to live a life full of suspicion, ventilation of negative feelings or hatred. Adolf Hitler did not set good goals and as such he ended his life as the only man with the greatest inferiority complex.

Be passionate about your goal of success. To conquer the set back in life, every man must wake up with a dream. There are no small opportunities in life, so make up your mind and choose what you want to do. This will move you somewhere. One must continue the process that could lead to success and repeat it at reasonable intervals. One must use every day to work towards one’s goals and one will be sure of the season of harvest.

The hunger for success calls for sacrifice, repetition, continuity and concentration. Hard work is the “clearing house” of all our problems and the secret of solving unfinished business is found in our daily agenda – the things we set out to do. The true measure of success is personal fulfillment. Every remarkable star is known by his good work. History is full of people who discovered many things to help mankind.

There is the desire to finding out new things in life. Christopher Columbus, Galileo, Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and many others made history. You too can make history. Human existence flaunts a gallery of achievers, you too can be one of them if you dream and stand up for it. Do not allow people’s criticisms and comments to distract you. Do not allow them to run you down because if you really know why they decide to run you down, you would pity them.

Some people might understand you, some might simply refuse to understand while others might be slow in understanding issues in general. Overcome them and do not accept the labels and tags they put on you.
But be a good listener.

Monsignor Livinus Ukah is the parish priest of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Aboru, Lagos.