You Are Not Your Backstory

When we look at someone’s past it’s easy to label them. If someone kills another, even if the victim’s family forgives them they are a murderer. If you get caught up in drugs or alcoholism, you’re a junkie, addict or drunk. If you’ve remotely seen someone out in public, and they think you are following them, you can be labeled a stalker. However, when you turn your life around you are still labeled by these things and it’s hard to get past, to show the world who you are now. When we look back in our life's past, what do we see? Are we necessarily proud of everything that we have done? For most of us, the answer would be no. In fact, some of us let our past decisions define who we are. I mean do we give ourselves nicknames, you know those names that we call ourselves when others are looking. “I’m such a loser” or “Man, I am such an idiot!” 

For an instance of this we need not look very far, after the resurrection of Jesus, He appeared to the disciples; and there was one named Thomas who was not with them when Jesus appeared. When the disciples, told Thomas that Jesus appeared to them, he responded “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

Thomas witnessing the Risen Christ

From that moment on, through out history Thomas is known as the one who doubted. Never mind that Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” He is known as Doubting Thomas. But if we look at Thomas’ story a bit more closely we see that he displayed great courage and loyalty. When the other disciples tried to keep Jesus from going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead because of the danger from those in the area who had just earlier tried to stone Him (John 11:8);  Thomas said to them, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16). Thomas also asked Him one of the most famous questions. John 14:5-6 says, "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Yet no one really remembers that. 

Let’s take a look at the NBC hit show This is Us. When we watch this show we see a family, and each member has their own issues. But what makes the show come to life is that we have “flashbacks” that show us why members of the family are the way they are. Maybe the daughter has an eating problem because of something that happened in her past. I posted early this week on facebook that if we knew each others backstories maybe we’d be easier, more compassionate, kinder,  more loving to people. 

My friends you are not your backstory. Yes, you have done things that you are not proud of, I have too. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells me that I am a new creation in Jesus Christ. Look at the woman at the well, seven husbands! Seven! She comes to the well midday, knowing that she was not well liked in the town, knowing that people were talking about her, she wanted to come to that well so she didn’t have to face anyone there, and the one day that she comes, there is a Jewish man at the well, HE knows her entire backstory, and tells her about herself and changes her life! She runs into the town, telling people you have to come to the well to see the man who knows everything about me and has still changed me! She came to the well one type of person and left a completely changed woman! But we don’t see her as the woman who was changed, we still see her as the woman at the well, the woman who was so caught up in sin that she had to come to well for water at midday. 

What is really interesting is that we sometimes get frozen in people’s minds as our backstory. We can’t live but up their labels. We all have friends, and relatives that knew us “back when…” But God wants us to tell our stories, to let the world know “hey that label was me, but that isn’t me now…and here is how I have changed.” 

I don’t know what label the world has given you, but I do know that Jesus is willing to change that label for you. And you will have choices to make daily, some so that you don’t have to live with that label again—but Jesus is there, waiting for you to say “I can’t do this alone.” He will take you by the hand and He will lead you to where you need to be so that you can encourage others in their walk with Christ also. 

Tonight as I write this, if you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, I am going to ask you to say a simple prayer. Tell God that you want to know Him better, that you want to drop the labels of your past and follow Him. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and need God’s grace and ask Him to take your hand and guide you daily. 

If you want to let someone know that you’ve placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you can reach out to me at the1witnessblog@gmail.com; you can contact me through this blog and of course, you can follow the blog for more faith based articles that will help you grow in Faith in Jesus Christ.