In his painting “An Allegory of Prudence,” the 16th-century Venetian artist Titian portrayed Prudence as a man with three heads. One head was of a youth facing the future, another of a mature man eyeing the present, and the third, a wise old man gazing at the past. Over their heads Titian wrote a Latin phrase that means, “From the example of the past, the man of the present acts prudently so as not to imperil the future.”
Oh to have that kind of wisdom~ to overcome the anxiety created by our past ~to live each day in the present with joy~ and to have the wisdom to enjoy life to its fullest right now is what I seek the most.
When I think of this topic I automatically think of the Apostle Paul~ whew the man had a horrible past! But somehow he was able to put the past to rest and move on for the Lord.
Philippians 3:13-14
(KJV)
13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
This does not mean that all his memory was erased~ it means that God had forgiven him. He was a new creature that was free from the guilt of his past. As he lived in fellowship with Christ~ the trials of this life only made him more like Jesus.
This year has not been a page to scrapbook about with pretty pictures in my memory. It has not been a "walk in the park." I was not ready to say goodbye~ nor did I get to~ to my dad. I was not prepared for the trails this year dropped at my door.
I would have liked to write this chapter a lot different but my trials will make me more like Jesus~ if I let them. How about you? Have you too had a rough year?
As 2011 comes to a close I need to follow Paul's example by rededicating my life to Jesus. He will enable me to live life fully in the present as I gain wisdom from the past and face the future with courage.
And He will do the same for you!
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