We Can’t Go Back!

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As the new year approached, I found myself looking back over the moments that shaped my life and my family. Some memories are joyful, others are painful, but through every season, the ups and the downs, God has been good. His faithfulness has never ceased!

When I consider where God has brought me from, I can say without hesitation that I could never go back to who I was before my conversion. That life may have seemed exciting, but it also had me bound. It looked free on the surface, yet it carried chains I didn’t fully recognize until God broke them.
I thought about the Israelites after they were delivered from Egypt. Once slavery was behind them, the journey toward the Promised Land was not easy. When hunger, fear, and uncertainty set in, many of them began to talk about going back. Egypt, though cruel, was familiar. Bondage didn’t seem so bad compared to trusting God in the wilderness. However, going back was never God’s plan.

Just like them, some of us have faced moments when life became difficult, times when faith was tested, and the path ahead seemed uncertain. Yet, even in those moments, I knew I could never return to what God had already delivered me from. I’ve seen too much and witnessed firsthand the power of God at work in my life, transforming me into a vessel He could use.

The wilderness may be uncomfortable, but it’s the place where God reveals Himself as a Protector, Provider, and Guide. The wilderness is a place where the clay is molded for the Master’s use. Looking back now, I see His hand in every step of my life, molding, refining, and strengthening my faith.

As we step into a new year, let’s do so with gratitude, purpose, and greater love for the One who died for us. I’m more determined than ever to move forward with the Hand of God leading and directing me. Like the Israelites, I’m on a journey, and I refuse to go back! Do you believe God has something better ahead? We can’t go back!


Happy New Year!
Elder Shirley Freeman