If we want to stop moving, an anchor is a good thing. If we want to go forward, it is not a good thing.
Maybe without even realizing it, many of us are dragging mental anchors and wondering why we aren't getting anywhere, or at least not moving ahead as fast as we would like. One particular anchor might be a tendency to cling to the past. Much emphasis these days is being put on past experiences and on dredging up personal history. Sometimes people believe in events that aren't clearly remembered—in fact, that never really took place. It's evident that we need to be alert not to be manipulated and to be aware of our God-given right to govern our own thinking and actions.
Some people have faced serious challenges in the past, even tragedy. And most of us have some sad memories of mistakes we've made or of poor decisions that resulted in unhappy experiences. While it's important that we recognize mistakes and go forward from a higher standpoint, it's helpful to remember that the past, in a profound sense, is nothing but our present concept of it. Why "recollect" thoughts and memories that cause a drag on our progress here in the present? Doing so is giving substance to a shadow.
