“Then Joshua set up in Gilgal twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, and he said to the Israelites, ‘in the future, when your children ask their fathers, what is the meaning of these stones? You should tell your children, Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”
Joshua 4:20-21 CSB
I love this moment in Scripture, where Joshua has led the people away from harm, and he stops to mark the moment, looking back in order to move forward. I think this is important for all of us to do as we continue to grow in our lives. Not to dwell on the past, but to look back at where you have been and then use that to move yourself forward into new things.
September is here and with is brings in cooler (sort of) weather and into a season that begins a time of harvest. I view the year’s seasons as a way to reflect and navigate in my own life, as September marks the beginning of the end of the year. Fall is naturally busy and one that if I let it slip by, it can move through my fingers in an instant.
So, I begin to reflect so that I can take hold of the good that will come in the coming months.
I think that’s important for you, too, to look back at God’s provision in your life so that you can embrace the beauty that is ahead of you.
I’ve been in a place of trying to discern what God is doing through what He has brought me through. I’ve been learning a lot, but also trying to understand why God has made certain parts of my journey more difficult than it is for others, which I know that everyone has a story, but it’s hard to not study one’s own story more than others.
My journey in ministry has been odd, where it has felt like I go into spaces and the response is “not you,” when I know that I am good at what I do. It’s hard not to take things personally when others are praised for what you were scrutinized for. I just want to disciple and help others love well, that shouldn’t be a crazy ask.
In these moments of low self-esteem, I stop and reflect, choosing to be thankful for what I learned and how God brought me out of what was into what can be.
This is why reflection is so important, because I want to hold onto the good that was poured out, and let go of what no longer serves me. It’s hard not to hold a grudge, but let’s be real, it’s not going to help me in the long run. Some people aren’t going to be for you, so don’t allow them headspace.
Sure, easier said than done, but not even giving it a shot is admitting defeat.
I think reflection helps us have an authentic faith, because it’s easy to feel the Spirit in a dark room with worship and surrounded by others, but the true faith is reflecting on the hurt and choosing to see the beauty of what God is doing.
We need to be careful in our reflecting, because we are not told to live in the past, but to move ahead. Our story will have many facets, so don’t remain in the past, use the past as encouragement for the next step. It would be like if I constantly talked about my high school experience, you’d look at me like, “it’s been years, dude, I think you need to move on.”
Don’t let your faith be one where you live in the past, look ahead to what God might do if you kept running to Him.
Mark the moment so that when you feel lost, you can remind yourself of God’s love.
That’s what Joshua did for his people, he made a literal monument, so that when the next generation lost faith, they could be reminded of what God did out of love for them. After a year of hell, dear Danielle and I decided to step away from what no longer served or loved us, and the day I left, I bought a Lego set. Not long ago, I built it, because I needed to let go and move forward. I think it’s important for us to mark moments, which could be something physical or just writing it down to mark a moment, but to make a statement to yourself of it being time to move.
Reflect, so that you can look back in order to move forward.
Now, to move on, means that you have to actually move one, which will be a daily choice. This current pain feels like it will never leave, but I remember that there have been past pains, and those have gone. That’s the beauty of what God can do, He helps us wrestle with the hurt by showing us the wonder in front of us.
Let go, heal, rest in a new life. That means you need to stop replaying conversations in your head, unfollow or even block (sorry not sorry) people, and embrace what fills you not what takes from you. Try something new, build a Lego set, take a walk outside. Reflect on the goodness of your loving savior, and embrace the direction of life you are walking towards.
Repeating history doesn’t help us, but looking at our history helps us make better decisions that equals growth.
I pray that this post helps you, because I honestly wrote this for myself most of all. It’s time to let go of the past and embrace a future of love in front of me and you.
- Your pastor and friend, Joshua.
About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a husband, father, and pastor doing what he can to love others the way Jesus did. You can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. He may not have it all figured out, but the journey is the best part. You can find him on the only social media he uses, Bluesky and Instagram
Joshua Writes 