Our past trumps our future because it happened already.

I own memories of a wedding day. I can scroll back to three children being born. My recent construction of a new house recalls the previous four I lived in.

Over 36 years of actual happenings in the previous three sentences. All anxiety-producing. All sources of joy.

Past times of joy snuggle in the treasure chest. They tend to jump out on their own, carrying their emotions on their sleeve. You show them off to friends and family, inviting them to twirl around in the middle of the room.

Past times of loss reside in isolation cells supposedly locked down for fear of harm they could render. Too often they wrestle the key away from the guard and parade through the living room uninvited. You try to look away.

Living in the past is only normal. God created us to remember. Minds that work are able to recall. They recollect reality.

The challenge is when reality is populated with monuments of pain. Such monuments clamor for attention.

Into such reality God placed monuments of His grace and presence.

A rainbow replacing storm clouds. Seawater held aside for easy passage. Fiery temperatures kept at bay. Hungry lions unable to attack. Water turned into wine. Angry waves stilled. Blind men seeing. One last supper. The execution of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus. The Church universal moving through history until Jesus returns.

When your memories include the above ones, even memories of pain and loss take on a grace-sheen. Even despair stumbles its way to joy. An abundance of Divine grace monuments puts your pain ones into perspective.

Living in yesterday becomes debilitating when past sins become hammers for pounding our children or spouse. When past pain eats away endlessly at our present.

Invite Jesus into your past today. He understands pain. He gets punishment.

He has a way of turning them into a wonderful future.