My blog is called “Reaching Ahead” from the passage in Philippians 3:12-14 where we forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. But what if our past won’t stay, well… past? What if it affects our present, and as a result, our future?
Putting Your Past in Its Place by Stephen Viars is a Biblical guide to our pasts. He helps us look at them through the lens of scripture. I appreciate his gentle yet firm approach, as well as the systematic way he moves through the book.
His goal isn’t to dive into our past to blame others, find our inner child, or anything like that. Instead, he breaks it into four categories, and then he teaches us how to correctly handle each, giving examples from the Bible of people who’ve been there as well as case studies.
1. When you’ve been through trials and responded well. (Joseph)
2. When you’ve been through trials and responded poorly. (Naomi)
3. When you’ve sinned and responded well. (Peter)
4. When you’ve sinned and responded poorly. (David)
As one counselee I met with said when she reported on the book:
I think that just about sums it up!
