Chains of My Past

Dear Friends,
The chains of your past don’t define who you are. If you’re new in Christ, if you’ve repented of your past and asked Him to forgive you, then He has. Your past is history. He’s forgotten all about it. Now it’s your turn. Don’t be chained to your past, friends. It doesn’t define you.
So, live in the present.
 
Chains of My Past
These chains of my past are too great to bear,
Its vice-like grip, holding me fast to this chair.
These chains of my past are like poison to my soul,
Injecting its venom, keeping me from being whole.
These chains of my past are visible to no one but me,
And all I’ve ever wanted is to just be free.
 
These chains of my past aren’t always so clear,
Sometimes the grip is so light, I don’t even know it’s there.
But the chains never leave me, they’re here to haunt me of my past,
Draining me, killing me, how much longer will I last?  
 
These chains of my past are too strong to break,
The grip only tightens, leaving me trembling in its quake.
These chains of my past, I’ve tried and tried to break free,
But its grip is too strong, will no one help me?
 
The deep dark room where my memories are kept,
Keeping me chained to that chair as my friends around me wept.
But I can’t change, this dark room is my home,
Chained by my past with no place to roam.
 
But then on that day, my life turned from its doom,
I cried out to the Lord and a brilliant light filled the room!
I said, “God, please forgive me! I’m sorry for my sin!
I’ve let these chains define me, they must be gone for me to win!
I hate these chains of my past, and I want them no more,
Break these chains of destruction, throw them out and slam the door!”
 
Then the most blessed sound was heard as I glanced down with tear-filled eyes,
My chains were breaking! My chains were breaking! The Lord heard my cries!
My chains fell off! I found myself free. The Lord, my Savoir, had rescued me.
All I had to do, was see myself as merely man,
Because God can do things that no man ever can.
 
These chains of my past don’t define who I am,
I’m no longer its victim, I’m a different man!
Now I live my life in the light, I try to shine it bright wherever I go,
And I spend my days getting stronger and trying my hardest to learn and grow.
 
I now talk with others who bear the same chains that held me,
I tell them about the One who can break their chains and set them free.
I’m no longer the man I was, but a new body has taken my place,
Those chains are forever gone, not even a scrap of metal in their place.
 
Sometimes I think back to who I was before,
But those memories are so dark I just step back and slam that door.
So instead, I raise my hands to Heaven, my Bible clutched tightly in my fists,
With tear-filled eyes and a trembling heart, I glance down at the scars on my wrists.
The scars are there for a gentle reminder, of the life I lived before,
But they aren’t here to haunt or define me, because I don’t live that life anymore.
I thank God for breaking those chains, they’ll never again have their grip on me,
I thank Him for His mercy, love, and kindness. Because now?
Now, I am finally free. 
© 2018 Aleigha C. Israel