Reminders of Your Past 

So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Galatians 4:7 (NIV) 

You may never be able to detach from certain aspects of your past. There will be reminders of the darkness you used to live in. But those experiences and decisions and mistakes serve to point to the light of Christ’s presence in your life now. 

So don't be ashamed to own your past, because it only highlights your growth since then. These reminders will be interpreted by people differently based on their value systems, so learn how to meet people where they are, but don't let them make you ashamed of the change in your life.

Like the healed man who was told by Jesus to carry his mat and walk, you are carrying your mat because you're no longer lying on it. You're carrying it because you're no longer restricted by it. So hold it and carry it—not with shame but with thanksgiving.

And if the people around you—based on their value system—still want to categorize you as an outcast, that’s up to them. But for your part, don’t be afraid to own where you've come from, own what you've been through, own what you have survived, and don't be ashamed to testify, “Yep, that was me. And it almost took me out, but thanks be to God for His mercy, I can stand and testify that His grace is still amazing.”

The Lord has decided to set you free, and He gives you the chance to carry the weight of your past in gratitude when the world wants you to carry it in guilt. Jesus lets us carry it in thanksgiving when the world wants us to carry it in shame.

What kind of weight will your past be as you carry it through life—a weight of embarrassment and regret and shame, or a weight of redemption and growth and progress?