Why be satisfied with the old one?

Every one of us has at least one thing in common.  Every. Single. One !!  Some are ok with theirs, others not so ok.  Some can live with it, some just want to forget it.  Some can't let theirs go, others try, and some succeed at it.  It defines some, and to others it is a challenge.  I'm talking about the past each of us has.  It is a part of us, whether we like it or not.  It is what we learn from it and the steps we take moving forward that prove our character.

Those that know me well know my past.  One word sums it up.  Ugly...just pure unadulterated ugly.  But it doesn't rule me, nor consume me, nor own me...because it is my life's mission to do that which we should all do...build another past each and every day moving forward.

Building a new past is one of the most important and rewarding things we can do as individuals.  It is a lifelong process.  It is not an event.  Our pasts, as we know them, took years to become defined, and our new past, as we wish to know it will likewise take years to define us.  Men of character build new pasts because they have realized that they don't wish to be defined by their old past.  They have also found that in doing so they also gravitate strongly toward being more Christ-like on a day by day basis (again...process, not event).

Who benefits from building a new past?  Everyone.  You, your family, your friends, and anyone who comes in contact with you.

Are you building a new past?  If not, what is holding you back?  Why be satisfied with the old one?  Our past is nothing but memories in our mind and some are obstacles that we massage and stroke for a number of reasons.  Massaging and stroking, however, take time and effort that can just as easily be used for building that new past.

Are you being held back by your old past?