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When Moses arrived at the burning bush, he brought with him a rich and storied past. Forty years as the prince of Egypt, and another forty years as a shepherd. You may have heard of the shepherd years, called his “backside of the desert experience”. Standing there, confronted with his future and God’s plan for him, excuses dominated. As our most recent article articulated, Moses was less than confident as God’s appointed deliverer for Israel. However, in the face of low self-confidence, he chose to follow God.

We all have stood at a crossroad, looking back at our past and wondering about God’s design for our future. Have you ever reviewed the past, present and future of your spiritual journey and concluded that “yesterday was better”?

As I rub shoulders with Christ followers, I am struck by the fact that so many have lost their zest for the journey. They can remember spiritual milestones and answers to prayer. But there are also fresh memories of church hurts, and being bruised along the way. Churches are filled with individuals who once served and used their gifts, but are now fading into the background. For all of us there will need to be seasons of rest or healing.  But those seasons should just be that, and should never prolong at the expense of missing the Father’s future design for us. Moses had eighty years of experience when God confronted him with the new phase of his journey. I am so glad, and encouraged that even through his excuses, he obeyed.

You may not be standing in front of a burning bush, but you are standing at a place with future opportunities. Don’t let anything in your past become a weight that holds you back from the God-designed future you can have. The emotions that say “yesterday was better” will cause you to look at tomorrow with a clouded view. God didn’t waste adversity in the life of Moses, nor will He for you. He wants all of your past, good and bad, to help prepare you for a Son-filled tomorrow.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that
hinders and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out
for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before
him endured the cross, scorning
its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.

Your starting place today should be to fix your eyes on Jesus. Gaze on His life, and seek to become more like Him. The seeking will give you perspective on how to deal with the yesterdays and be excited about the tomorrows. Just as Moses possessed a past, and a God-designed future, so do you! I choose to believe for you that “yesterday was not better”, and that He will prove me right.