Is your past a school to learn from or a club to beat yourself up with?

[Mithrandir]

Hey everyone,

I hope those of you that are on vacation are enjoying the break! I ran across a great quote the other day and I'm trying very hard to apply it to my own life.

Everyone has things in their past that they've done that they're not proud of. But you can chose to use your past either as a club to beat yourself up, or as a school to learn from.

I know for myself, I have a tendency to replay things I've done in my past that I'm not proud of over and over. They replay in my mind and it gets me depressed. Lately, though, I've taken to trying to stop the cycle of despair and really analyze these things. Of course I'll try not to do it again, but what can I learn from it?

It's been helpful for me, so I'm guessing it might be helpful for someone here. When you find yourself in one of these situations, try saying this out-loud to yourself.

Rising above your situation and your past is not about feeling better about yourself. It's about growing as a person.

[goldenspines]

Thanks Mith, this is good advice.
For me personally, I know I tend to dwell on my past failures way too much. And really, things work out much better when I can learn something from my mistakes rather than be discouraged by them. ^_^

[Tsukuyomi]

Hey everyone,

I hope those of you that are on vacation are enjoying the break! I ran across a great quote the other day and I'm trying very hard to apply it to my own life.

Everyone has things in their past that they've done that they're not proud of. But you can chose to use your past either as a club to beat yourself up, or as a school to learn from.

..

I kind of use it as both. I know that sounds weird, but.. That's just what seems to happen every time I recall something >_> I should try to use it more as a school to learn from though ^__^

[animeguild53]

eh? i used to dwell in my past and it really got me imprisoned.. well, that was before i knew how great the LORD is.. now i'm thankful that HE allowed me to do all those things because they led me to where and who i am now..

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Oh, definitely the later. I think my problem is that I know, in my head, that I am forgiven through Christ's sacrifice (I can even feel at peace in this, say, when I meditate on a crucifix); but somewhere deep in my psyche, I cannot accept that fact that the things I have done are just cancelled. It's pretty prideful, don'tcha think? Believing my sins are SO big and SO important. Ha...

So yeah, this is an everyday struggle. But, Mithrandir, I have not thought about this in the terms you presented. I am going to make an effort to do so, though.

[uc pseudonym]

What if your past is a school in which everyone beats you up? Or if in the past someone beat you with a school building?

[Tsukuyomi]

What if your past is a school in which everyone beats you up? Or if in the past someone beat you with a school building?

Either way, you would (?) come out stronger ^___^

I guess the reason why I did use my past to beat myself over the head is so I don't return to doing the same thing ^^ Hmmm, I guess that would mean I used it as a school :-?

[mechana2015]

Along the same lines as UC said, what about past as a school with corporal punishment?

[goldenspines]

What if your past is a school in which everyone beats you up? Or if in the past someone beat you with a school building?

The easiest solution would be to hope you graduate soon and avoid those carrying school buildings. o.o

Whether you come out stronger because of it is up to you, I think.

[Nate]

What if the club is the tool which is used to teach you? I mean isn't that what spankings were all about when we were kids? "I'm going to beat some sense into you!" So I think it's both, not either/or.

[minakichan]

I misread it as a club that beats you up. Like the football club or something. So, is your past a school or a school club?

Anyway.

I replay things in my head all the time, and I really can't stop it. It's annoying and sometimes I can't sleep at night because of it =(

[ADXC]

Wow Mith, that's a great quote and I like your response as well.

I'm not entirely sure how to respond; however, I'll try to.

My past may not be as wild and crazy as others(I have not lived many years yet so I can't say the full extent of it at the moment.); however, I still think I've messed up at times. But even through these times that I have messed up, God has always put the pieces back together in a better way than I could have ever thought possible. Although I could say that the mistakes I've made or the things I didn't do well were not on God's plan, God closes my mouth because I have seen that these mistakes have a purpose in His will for my life. These mistakes sometime teach me, chasten me, or just make me put my faith back in God where it should really be.

I can't say the full extent what my past has on my future, but I can say that as long as I trust in God, He will always be there to catch me and carry me that extra mile.

I guess my answer to your question is a school to learn from.

[That Dude]

I view the past as a school that I was a poor student at. I generally don't get caught up in the past, but I have trouble forging ahead towards the future.

[Song_of_Storms]

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Looking back at mistakes, especially recent ones, can drive you insane. I'm not so caught up in the "how could God ever forgive me?" aspect, more the "because I did this, or didn't do this, I have caused this or affected someone..." that to me is the most discouraging. >.<
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[ChristianKitsune]

I misread it as a club that beats you up. Like the football club or something. So, is your past a school or a school club?

haha that's what I thought too

I would also say both, however I'm a little more forgiving on myself in some areas, and in others I tend to beat myself up over it...

Social areas I tend to beat myself up more than areas where I just messed up. Haha...

I've kind of learned you can't change the past, so learn from it.
Hakuna Mattata!

[Rusty Claymore]

Excellent quote Mith. I seem to remember the lessons from my past the moment after I could have used them... It doesn't help that when I look back every good thing that happened or I did has a dark lining to it. But the important thing is to keep going forward, trying your best to learn from your past as a school, and trying your hardest not to use it as a club to beat yourself or others up with.
Haha, thinking about it I kinda feel like Ichigo from bleach, with the hollow inside, always laughing at him and pointing out how utterly pathetic he is...