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Our lives are shaped by a variety of cir-
cumstances, choices, people and expe-
riences--good and bad. Our past is
ours, warts and all.
pects of your journey thus far. Unre-
solved negative experiences can con-
tinue to have an adverse impact on our
present lives, as well as our future. De-
pending on what they may be, this can
be done on your own or with the assis-
tance of a professional counselor. Any
illegal or criminal experiences should be
shared with potential employers and
especially with potential spouses. Unre-
solved past criminal activity should be
put to rest. Take control of it. Pay your
debt to society. Get free of this weight.
past, perhaps the following questions
would be helpful:
this desire? What result do you hope
the sharing will bring? Is this realistic?
what they can hear; if they are minors,
as in your children, give very serious re-
search and thought before doing this.
Make sure any sharing is done solely
because it's in the childrens' best inter-
ests and not just to make you feel bet-
ter. Even sharing with adult children
needs careful thought. While the par-
more mature one, there is still a
limit on what they can or need
to know about their parents.
with your betrothed or your
spouse. Show love and care by
being sensitive and discreet.
Every detail does not have to
be shared.
dom of sharing, ask the Holy
Spirit to help you. Search the
Scriptures for guidance. Make this
process a matter of focused
prayer. Listen for His direction. He
has your best interest at heart.
day return in power and glory as the
conquering King. This is referred to as
"The Second Coming of Christ". While
Jesus was here on earth, He talked to
His close disciples about the signs that
would precede His return. Matthew 24
is comprised of His statements on this
subject. What He next shared with
them regarding the Kingdom of Heaven
fills Matthew 25. These chapters are rich
with descriptions of things to come,
and deserve close study. There are ad-
ditional references to Christ's return
spread throughout the Bible.
about Christ's Second Coming. The fol-
lowing are some key components:
the angels in heaven or the Son himself.
Only the Father knows" (Matthew
24:35).
the Lord's return will come unexpected-
ly, like a thief in the night" (I Thessalo-
nians 5:2).
strengthen and nurture it so that we
can be ready at all times. "You also
must be ready all the time, for the
Son of Man will come when least ex-
pected" (Luke 12: 40).
us to share with as many as possible
the amazing story of God's love and
desire for a relationship with them.
"Go into all the world and preach the
Good News to everyone" (Mark 16:15).
be grateful there is still time to reach
others for Him.
Is there any benefit to sharing
about one's past? Common
sense makes me consider the
risk of rejection. Some think
the past should be in the past.