"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." —Isaiah 43:18-19

I have noticed a trend lately. One in which media sensationalizes the sins of a person's past. Reaching back years or decades they recover pictures, writings, or soundbites that are taken out of a previous cultural context intent on inflaming past ignorances and using them as evidence against a gender, leader, or organization. How sad, malicious, and destructive. While we hope people are eager to learn and grow from past mistakes maturing in their understanding and establishing strong boundaries, reliving these events in a sensationalized manner cannot be emotionally pleasant. No one wants this. Not you and not me. But rather there is potential from past mistakes to grow, move forward, and become better—often never sensationalized. Today if this is you who feels that others sensationalize your past resulting in you reliving your past, focus on God words above. "Remember not...I am doing a new thing."

DO THIS: Set your mind, heart, and focus on the man God has made you to be.

PRAYER: God, while my past is full of sin, errors, and unfavorable experiences. Today, I am committed to focus less on the man I was and more on the man you want me to be. Help me to live beyond the control of sin, by your Spirit. Prove the hecklers wrong; you can take the broken and make them whole. You can take the old and make it new. You are God of new things—and that's me.