#24 - Putting Your Past In Its Place

I just finished book #24 for the year with 15 days to spare - phew! I met my goal for the year when I finished Putting Your Past In Its Place by Stephen Viars.I think I got it from one of the conferences I went to in the past year, and I'm glad I did. I must say, I have issues. I have issues from my childhood, issues from my past relationships and issues from my past in general. But I've been noticing lately that I'm not alone. I used to think that only really messed up people have issues from their past.

But I've come to realize that many people have allowed their past to influence them probably more than is wise. Some over react to their past by trying to recreate their past in the present or by attempting to run from/fight with their past or people who remind them of their past. Others try to bury their past and pretend it never existed.

Viars quotes Wayne Mack who wrote, "'Time heals all wounds' is one of the most inane statements ever made. Spiritual wounds may harden into scabs and scars over time, but their harmful consequences inevitably continue unless true healing occurs. Time by itself can never truly heal any wound of a spiritual nature."

He goes to make the point that we must deal with our past and learn from it. He quotes Proverbs 26:11 (which just happens to be Matt and Emery's memory verse right now!), "Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. The principle is this: Bad choices that are not recognized and corrected become part of who we are. Note the key words repeats. Each time we sin in our thoughts, words, desires, or behavior makes it easier and more likely that the same wrong choice will be repeated. When we fail to learn lessons, dangerous ruts are created in the road of our hearts."

After establishing this need to deal with our past biblically, he gives a very helpful paradigm to evaluate your past. He gives 4 options or "buckets" that we must keep empty in order to not live in the past but learn properly from it. The buckets are:

1. The innocent past (you were wronged out of no fault of your own) when you responded well
   
2. The innocent past when you responded poorly
   
3. The guilty past (you sinned against someone first) when you responded well
4. The guilty past when you responded poorly

This is a very helpful grid to evaluate your past experiences so that you can let go of any inappropriate self-guilt and take responsibility for any sin that you contributed. Then Viars goes on in the rest of the book to explain each of the buckets in some detail with plenty of personal examples and application.

I liked how Viars connected how understanding our past helps us deal with present life issues. And dealing with present life issues has implications for our future - either we will respond better in the future or we will further ingrain these negative habitual patterns. He also did well to bring a theologically faithful and God centered perspective to the daily issues of life.

If you have issues in your past or are involved in any counseling or discipleship, this is a very helpful book. I highly recommend it.