Don't Dwell On The Past

“Do not call to mind the former things,

Or ponder things of the past. 

Behold, I will do something new,

Now it will spring forth;

Will you not be aware of it?" 

Isaiah 43:18-19

One day my husband and I hiked in a part of Rocky Mountain National Park where a fire had burned down a few trees. It appeared they had been struck by lightning. As I surveyed the blackened ground, I noticed little shoots of green plants among the dead wood and charred pine cones. Yes, trees and vegetation had been destroyed by the fire, but God was doing a new thing. Fresh growth was springing up in the middle of the devastation. If I had kept my eye on what had been destroyed, I would have completely missed the lovely greenery pushing through the earth. God's work in our lives is like that scene. When we surrender our burned out lives to Him, He restores them into something new and beautiful. He doesn't want us to dwell on our past mistakes and failures. He wants us to place our trust in Him and look to see where He is doing something new.