“In this great future, you can’t forget your past.”
These are the lyrics that I keep going back to as I’ve had Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” on repeat for the past month.
Before I get into why Mr. Marley has become my theme song for this month, let me rewind for a minute. Three weeks ago, I made the biggest gamble of my life. I got on a plane, flew more than 2,000 miles away from my home in sunny SoCal and moved into a small little town on the East Coast, which I’ve never even been to. Sounds crazy right?
If you think so, then you’re right- it is crazy of me to move somewhere I’ve never visited before. But before you really think I’ve lost it, in my defense I did it in the name of education. I made this move to go to grad school.
Ok so maybe I don’t seem as crazy anymore. I mean kids leave everyday to go off to university where they envision their dreams coming true and their life coming together and living happily ever after, and this is all fine and great.
Rojo: “I remembered, God had equipped me with my past, to help me succeed now and in the future I’m headed towards.” (Photo: iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
However, as we are about to embark on this new chapter towards our future, what us students and even non-students fail to realize is the journey of getting to that “happily ever after.” This journey can cause us pain, fear, tears, and even to question the decision we’ve made to leave where we came from in the first place. I am guilty of this.
My amazing undergrad years at the University of Southern California, I knew I was given a solid foundation to continue on into the next part of my life. After being raised by my parents, I knew I had the tools to make it where ever I went. After making friendships throughout my life, I knew I had love to support me. But most importantly, I knew I had God to carry me and guide me through it all.
You get the picture. I can’t say these past years of my life leading up to today have been easy, because they haven’t. But, I can say that I’ve had a blessed past that has helped shaped the person I have become. From the moment I stepped off the plane and stepped onto my new campus, which is so much different than the environment I’m used to, I kept thinking to myself, “Don’t forget where you came from- you got this.” As the weeks progressed and classes began, I started to forget why I came to this school, why I was even here.
I became so overwhelmed with being in a place that was so different than what I have been used to, that I let my negative feelings push everything I have learned from the past aside. Instead I let myself focus on the pain of being so far from home and the feeling of not fitting in to a school with such a different culture that was so foreign to me.
But, God has a clever way of lighting a fire under our butts and making us realize the purpose for the path He puts us on. This is where Bob Marley comes in. I love reggae. So when I put my headphones in and started listening to Marley, to try to escape from the day I was having, I didn’t think that one lyric from one of his songs was going to make such a pivotal difference on my situation.
“In this great future, you can’t forget your past.” I kept replaying this lyric in my mind from “No Woman, No Cry.” I thought to myself, here I am continuing my education to one day achieve my goals and create a better future for myself, but I’ve wandered off this path because I’ve forgotten my past. I have ignored everything I’ve learned… the tools I’ve been given, the experiences I’ve grown from. I remembered, God had equipped me with my past, to help me succeed now and in the future I’m headed towards.
Rojo: “Follow your dreams but along the way, don’t forget where you come from and all you have gone through.” (iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
This really put everything into perspective. This story isn’t just mine. Everyone is susceptible to this. As we go through life trying to build our “grand future,” we fail to realize that the foundation to this is our past- all we’ve gone through to bring us where we are today.
There I was, looking silly, just replaying this song over and over again. But each time Marley would sing that one particular lyric, it was as if everything was coming back to me: My past has made me who I am. I have a goal of where I want to be in life.
Now, despite the difficulties I face of transitioning into a new place, I know where I’m headed and that no matter how I get there, I know I’ll use tools I’ve learned from the past. You have not lived your life in vain. If you have a dream, then dream it. Follow your dreams but along the way, don’t forget where you come from and all you have gone through. Use the pain and joy you have experienced in your past to help you overcome the struggles you will face in getting to your future destination.
And don’t forget to pray through it all. Prayer is powerful. God has an amazing plan for your life. He has given you all you need for the moment you’re in to succeed. So when you’re feeling like your world is caving in, don’t worry, just take a deep breathe, remember our Heavenly Father is in control, put on some Marley, and enjoy the ride.
“In this great future, you can’t forget your past.” Think about it.
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