The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. . . .

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

I’ve spent a lot of time in conversations with people who are holding on to shame, anger, or deep disappointment over things they can’t go back and change. I have also been there myself—replaying moments that I wish I could rewrite. But living in the past is like trying to drive while staring in the rearview mirror. You miss what’s in front of you, and you’re likely to crash! The gospel doesn’t ignore our past. It redeems it. Jesus meets us in the broken places of our lives and says, “You don’t live there anymore.” That doesn’t mean we forget everything that happened, but we no longer let those moments hold power over our identity. The apostle Paul, who wrote this passage, had a violent past. Yet he found peace and purpose in Christ. That same peace is available to us—not because we have earned it, but because Christ has already paid for it. Newness in Christ means learning to see ourselves the way God sees us: forgiven, free, and made new. You are not who you were. And because of Jesus, your story doesn’t end in shame. It moves forward in grace. 

Jesus, thank you for making me new. Help me to release the past and to embrace the freedom you’ve given me. Shape my future with your grace. Amen.