Back to the Beginning: Embracing Your Future by Starting with the Past

by Carla Laureano

I’ve always been a “no regrets” sort of person. “What’s done is done,” “what’s past is past”—you name the clichéd saying and I’ve probably repeated it, with varying degrees of belief. After all, what use is dwelling on something that can’t be changed? The only thing we’re able to control in life is how we choose to go forward. At least that’s what I once believed. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how much past hurts—whether they were my own doing or someone else’s—lingered. They affected how I approached the future, as well as how I felt about myself and other people. I might say I had moved on, but it was closer to pretending I didn’t notice the baggage I dragged along behind me: simply ignoring it didn’t make it go away.

The protagonist of my newest novel, Provenance, approaches life in much the same way; her baggage is just harder to ignore. Abandoned at the age of five and raised in a string of foster homes — some good, some bad — Kendall Green thinks that the key to a happy life is simply moving forward, proving that she doesn’t need anyone else for success. It’s not until she learns she’s inherited property from a grandmother she never knew that she’s forced to deal with the mystery of her own past and how it has affected every aspect of her life.

But as Kendall soon learns, it’s not enough to just accept the bad things that happened in the past. It’s only by understanding how those things shaped her, made her stronger, gave her a unique outlook on life, that she can put them to rest and truly move on. For Christians, the process is even more meaningful: seeing how God has worked through the trials, disappointments, and tragedies for our good is what brings true redemption of our circumstances and allows us to release both fear and regret.

It is only when we can accept and embrace all the circumstances of our past — good and bad — that we can truly embrace our future . . . and step into the powerful and redemptive life that God intends for His children.

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Carla Laureano is the two-time RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary romance and Celtic fantasy. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked in sales and marketing for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband, two sons and an opinionated cat named Willow.

For more information about Carla, visit her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.

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