In youth group this week, I used a clip from “The Lion King.” The clip illustrated that God forgives our past, and it’s our job to learn from it, not dwell on it.
Rafiki hits Simba over the head with his walking stick and when asked why, he says, “it does not matter – it’s in the past!”
And then he says this golden line: “you can either run from it or learn from it.”
One of the Bible passages I taught in the lesson was Isaiah 43:18-19. The scripture says, “forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
I’ve continued to ruminate on that for 2 days after teaching it.
The past is a lesson, and the future is bright with God’s promises. Where do I want my focus to be? On the path ahead, toward the brightness and goodness of God, of course.
PS: I don’t own The Lion King, any of its quotes or characters, obviously.
