A Free Mind is a Hopeful Reality

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This weekend I looked behind me, and it was a vast nothingness; the past wasn’t there.

This is a welcomed awareness. It was a vision that granted me a deeper understanding sending me into greater levels of enlightenment thus freedom.

Except for our memories, the past doesn’t exist. However, most of us act like it’s a living reality, thus make it one. We live by it, and from it create our present and future. Sometimes we try to hold onto it and live as a 20-year-old chasing what once was and thus are never satisfied with today. Other times, we live by its wounds, which taint our current health, relationships, jobs, etc. For example, we were hurt in a previous relationship in which someone betrayed us, and now we don’t or find it hard to trust others. We failed in a business venture, and now we don’t follow our desires but work in a job we don’t like. A parent called us a loser, and now we overeat to drown out that resounding voice echoing in our head. These are examples of living in and by the past, thus it creates our present moments and future. This projection of the past into the future is often at the core of those who struggle with depression, hopeless, and feeling trapped. This mentality can quench our hope because it prohibits our minds from growing and creating a present and future we do desire.

The fulfillment of hope, thus change, comes from allowing ourselves to learn from the past, but not live in the past. In learning from it yet not in it, our hope starts to become fulfilled, because we are open to learning and growing, which brings the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A learning and growing mind, a present mind, is receptive to new opportunities and better ways of being because it’s learning new ways of thinking. It enables alteration within our mind’s process thus real change in our choices, actions and behaviors.

What has this to do with our relationship with God? Everything.

The Spirit of God is in the present, for that is what exists and is real. As our internal teacher and counselor, He speaks to us right now with the purpose of transitioning our minds to operate by His truth and loving kindness. 1 Timothy 1:5 If our minds are bound to the past by functioning in and by mindsets like blame, bitterness, resentment, vengeance, covetousness, maliciousness, hatred, backbiting, unforgiveness, jealousy, self-pity, and so on we won’t hear His voice instructing us in a better way. When we give these mindsets control of our thoughts, they are loud and consuming. The thoughts God establishes in us are opposite of these, thus we have to be willing to turn away from these mindsets and learn to think in accordance to His wisdom, truth, righteousness and loving kindness. This is part of renewing our mind and a significant part of the repentance we’re called to. Romans 1:28-32, Romans 12:2

When we seek and follow His instruction, our minds transition to a present mindset where God guides us in new directions. He, and not our interpretation of the past, establishes our thoughts, thus our minds create fresh perspectives that translate into new actions, thus changes, and hopes fulfilled.

A part of moving out of our past and into the present is viewing our past with thanksgiving and honor. The upsets of the past can teach us important lessons of wisdom, truth and love that if we learn we won’t repeat the past hurts. All we went through and the people who were involved in those lessons teach us compassion and understanding. Once we learn from our situations, we are able to help others because we’ve learned the truth and practice the truth. Our past is cloaked with thanksgiving and honor when we see all the experiences and people they contained as part of our journey of growing in alignment with the divine wisdom of God. In this, the past, thus the present, translates into blessings instead of continual cursings because we’ve learned, grown, and can now help others. Some of our greatest hurts can teach us life-altering lessons that propel us forward to gaining a mind established on truth.

I’ve tasted a lot of different pains in my past. Once I started to seek after the truth, God has been using them to teach me and bring me to a deeper level of understanding and compassion I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It is truly God working all for good for those who love Him. Romans 8:28

This understanding of learning from our past but not living by it is deep and personal. We each have a myriad of experiences from our past, and if we allow the Spirit of Truth to teach us, we will learn from those experiences, grow, and begin to live in the present out by the wisdom they provided. This understanding sets our mind free, thus frees us.