“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned…” (Philippians 4:11a NKJV)
Years ago, I was hired to teach Psychology at a local high school. There was a catch to my contract. I had to agree to be the Trainer and Equipment Manager for the school’s basketball teams and the football teams; freshmen teams to varsity teams. My preparation for the Trainer role amounted to taking the initiative to refer to pages on an old Red Cross book that belonged to my mother. It was helpful, to a degree. I became an expert over my two-year tenure when it came to wrapping ankles, passing out salt tablets, acting as an adult water boy, turning on the antiquated whirlpool that looked like something from a torture chamber, and taking injured players to the hospital as required. I played the role of a “Team Doctor” and my most used prescription was, “Get back out there. It will work itself out.” As the Equipment Manager, my primary duty seemed to be getting dirty uniforms and towels to the cleaners first thing Monday morning, picking them up on Thursday morning, and distributing them on Thursday evening. Oh I picked up a couple of “how to” things along the way. Sounds simple to you probably, but I had no clue at first how to replace broken cleats, install new face masks on helmets, mix Gatorade, or line the football field until I served, toiled might be a better word, as the unheralded, unnoticed Trainer. All the duties of being a Trainer and Equipment manager are in the past. But here I am now in the present, serving the Lord as a pastor and teacher of the word of God. There is where my past produced positive changes in my present. This is where my past became positive. The dedication, the emphasis on preparation, the devotion to preparation and the mindset that continuing education was required to fulfill a responsible and essential job are all things that were reinforced when I was a Trainer and Equipment Manage. In many ways my past prepared me to do what I am doing in the present. Responding to the unexpected in my Trainer and Equipment Manager role had to unconsciously prepare me for what I experience in my ministerial roles. There is more to the story part of this meditation.
In a recent conversation with my older brother, I expressed that my primary regret was that I had not used my time or gifts more wisely in many of my young adult years; in my past. He responded quickly by wisely saying, “You would not be able to do what you are doing now, in the present, if you it not been for your past.” I pondered for a minute and I conceded his statement was solid and so true. The past is producing some positive changes in my present life. I cannot make up for times gone by, but I can benefit from what I learned in my past. I have learned to trust in God more and I have learned that much can be done with little if you keep your mind stayed on Jesus. And every day that I’m on this Christian journey, the Lord continues my growth through the His sanctification process. As he does, I recognize that there are some things in the past that have produced positive changes in the present. At times it is a skilled learned. Sometimes it is a truth in the word that takes real, personal meaning. Sometimes it is an experience I failed to avoid in the past, and now knowing better in the present, I can use it to help someone avoid the same failing in the present.
Lastly, let me say that whatever you are going through, never give up or get down, thinking that nothing good can possibly come out of what you are experiencing. Later in life, maybe sooner than later, you will find out how your past can produces positive change in a present state or a future scenario. If by chance, you are being tested now or taken through some experiences you would rather not endure, keep in mind that one day this “now” will become the” past.” Keep the faith! The Lord will sustain you, strengthen you, school you, and see you through. Then, your “past” will produce a good, positive, and lasting change in your “present” and your future…as well as the lives of others. If you need some Biblical examples, look at Moses, David, Paul, Peter, and even the man who could say, “I once was blind, but now I see.” Check out the quote below. Think about it! Now, have a great day! Be blessed!
“The past does not define me, it ignites me. The past is not a piece of me, it has placed me.” (Ricky Maye)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King