Declaration of Independence from the Past

Everybody who has ever been to a wedding has heard the passage from I Corinthians 13 about love being patient, kind, never boasting, never proud, not rude or self-seeking, not easily angered, and keeping no record of wrongs, right? Right! But this week something occurred to me. It knocked my socks off, so I feel I have to share it.

I always thought that the perfect agape love described in that letter to the Corinthians was between two people. I thought it meant, "If you love (perfect agape) someone, you will keep no record of wrongs done by, toward, or in regard to that person." But this is only partially true. Ogres, onions, and love, and I all have layers, and here is the deepest layer of true agape love:
The PERFECT agape love can only come when the lover keeps no records of ANY wrongs done to him/her in the past regardless of who did the wrong.

When one holds on to the bitterness that results from disappointment or hurt feelings, one poisons oneself and cripples him/herself from being able to truly love anyone today. The only way to truly develop the perfect agape love described in I John 4:7-8, is to make a declaration of independence from your past. . . to die to it completely, not just the sins you have committed, but the sins committed against you.

Most have felt the sting of betrayal, the disappointment of a friendship broken, the crushed heart of an extinguished flame of romance. Most of us know that the scars of the past have an effect on us today. Unfortunately, we tend to chalk it up to "experience" and move along to another volley of pain caused by another attempt at love between two people who are not learning the valuable lesson God has tried, in so many ways, to show us.

I have been wronged in the past, and those wounds have crippled me from loving perfectly today. But, in order that I may truly love tomorrow, I declare my independence from yesterday. I leave all yesterday's hurts, its failures, its insults, and all its rejections in the past where they belong. Today, I take up my cross, shoulder it with a grin, and look forward to the crown that comes because I was able to turn away from what held me back. (Luke 9:23)

Never again will the love I share with others be bound to a superficial level for fear of pain or loss. Never again will I look at someone today and see the reflection of the ones who hurt me yesterday. From now on, I claim the power of the One who holds tomorrow, and love with His love. I hope you will too.