faith unfaded

I had a hard time letting go of things: my stuffed animals, the dishes we ate on every night, my favorite outfits….

It was no surprise that there was one other thing I couldn’t give up: my past.

I held on to stuffed-down trauma like it was a security blanket. I grabbed the words of shame hurled at me and allowed them to form my identity. I relived mistakes over and over, convincing myself that I deserved the misery I felt inside.

I couldn’t welcome a brighter tomorrow because I wouldn’t say goodbye to yesterday.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

I once saw a snake shed its skin. It was gross and fascinating all at once. But once it was out of its old skin, it moved on. It didn’t hang around or try to climb back in. The old skin was part of its past and it was largely ignored.

This week’s focus is on truly letting go of yesterday. Even Annie knew how to do it as she sang tomorrow: “Yesterday was plain awful, you can say that again. Yesterday was plain awful, but that’s..not now…that’s then!”

Our song this week is a 2025 tune from Elevation Rhythm and Gracie Binion titled Goodbye Yesterday. The lyrics are profound:

Goodbye, yesterday
I’m livin’ in the light of a new day
I won’t waste another minute in my old ways
Praise the Lord, I’ve been born again
Goodbye, yesterday
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
I’ve got resurrection in my veins
Praise the Lord, I’ve been born
Again and again and again and again
You rescued me out of the mess I was in
You traded my sorrow for something to sing
Now, I’m dancin’ on the grave that I once lived in

Dancing on the grave that I once lived in….I love those lyrics. That image sends my soul dancing every time.

They also sample a beloved hymn in the track:

I have decided to follow Jesus
The world behind, the Cross before
And I won’t turn back (yeah)
I have decided to follow Jesus
The world behind, the Cross before
And I won’t turn back

We sing it but do we mean it? I turned back over and over. I knew Him. I followed Him. And I walked away over and over.

Why? It’s simple. I never could let go of the past. I’d get so tired of battling demons I’d just join them again. But then I truly let go of the past. And I found that I no longer had to battle my demons. God did it for me. All I have to do is keep my eyes on Him.

Goodbye, yesterday!

To throw a little country in here too, I’ll quote JoDee Messina in Bye, Bye.

The rearview mirror’s torn off, I ain’t never looking back- and that’s a fact!