Take a look at the celebrity line up in Matthew 1!
Salmon & Rahab gave birth to Boaz.
Boaz and Ruth gave birth to Obed.
Obed (didn't mention is wife) was the father to Jesse.
Jesse (didn't mention his wife) was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon. Solomon's mother was listed as Uriahs WIFE!! Here, they didn't reference her by name at all. Only referenced her by the affair she'd had with King David.
Solomon's grandfather was Jesse a shepard. His father was King David. Let's remember David had several older brothers, Jesse called David out from the field last because he didn't think David was what Samuel was looking for in a king.
Jesse's grandma was Rahab the prostitute from Jericho. Rahab was the only one willing to hide Israel's spies in her home and taught them how to escape. It makes me wonder how many times she had hidden men in her home and helped them sneak out.
At the family's dinner table we also have the romance of Ruth and Boaz. He protected her and provided for her the moment he saw her in the field.
This is the lineage of Jesus.
This is the family line God chose, because he found favor with Mary.
The Rahab's past didn't haunt her future. Through her came the Messiah. Sometimes it feels like our mistakes are so big, having a decent future feels impossible. But that's not so. Rahab was Boaz's mother. Boaz was a wealthy business man. He was listed as a guardian redeemer for his family.
All this goes to say your past mistakes don't have to destroy your future. Your future can be redeemed through Jesus Christ. The lineage of Jesus was filled with imperfect people.
There is one catch, a very important one.
If you continue to shame yourself based on the mistakes you made, you're (perhaps unintentionally) carrying your mistakes from yesterday along with you into today, and carrying them into your future. You MUST forgive yourself and turn over a new leaf.
With Jesus, our past is dead. Our mistakes can be laid to rest. We get a new opportunity through grace, mercy and forgiveness to build a better future.
My friend, don't be too hard on yourself. Lay your mistakes to rest and begin building a better future. Your future starts today.