Leave it in the Grave.

The Lord is speaking to someone today!

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Las Vegas with my son. We visited a place called the Neon Museum, where casino/hotel signs go to die. We walked down the aisles, looking at the displays of signs on either side of our path. Some were gigantic and glorious. Some were small and unimpressive. A few were easy to miss because they blended into their surroundings. Some were attractive, boasting impressive light displays, while others sat quiet and mysterious. Some signs were intensely nostalgic for me, as I remember seeing them perched on the hotels they occupied when I was a child visiting with my parents. 

All of them had once resided on dwellings where anyone could find addiction, heartbreak, and loss.  Still, they drew people in, promising glory and riches, then often spit them out drenched in guilt and shame. 

That neon sign graveyard is like sinful experiences of our past. Most of us can remember situations, though they were sinful, contributed to our growth, but we (hopefully) put them away when we grew out of them, leaving them behind. Often, it was a person or people we grew out of and left behind.

There are times we find ourselves visiting people, places, and situations of the past. Some of them are flashy and draw us back to them. Some appeal to our sense of nostalgia. Some possess a quiet mystery that makes us curious about how they might look in our new space.

Allow me to share some words of warning with you.

It’s not worth it. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲!

Leave it in the grave. You’re not that person anymore. It looks flashy and exciting, but going back will only bring you guilt and shame. 

Jesus has already been to the grave and back, so you don’t have to. Keep your eyes forward and focused on the glory of the Savior. He’s outside the (sin) city limits, waiting to give you your best life.

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬)