How to overcome dwelling on the past

In 1948, during a runoff Senate primary fight with former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson, early indications were that Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson had lost. Six days later, however, Precinct 13 in the border town of Alice, Texas, showed a very interesting result. Exactly 203 people had voted at the last minute-in the order they were listed on the tax rolls-and 202 of them had voted for Johnson.

While Stevenson protested, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black upheld the result and Johnson just barely won by 87 votes. It wasn't until July 30, 1977, that Luis Salas, the election judge in Alice, admitted that he and southern Texas political boss George Parr had rigged the election.

By the time the truth came to light, Lyndon Johnson had gone on to serve as a Senator, Vice President, and President of the United States. In fact, Johnson had been dead for over four years by the time Salas made his confession. So who knows how history might've turned out were it not for the dishonesty of a few.

Many people today look down on their current situation in life because they don't believe their means of getting there were of God. But like Paul when he was shipwrecked, we have to realize that no matter where we've come from, we are where we are because God wants us there. So instead of dwelling on the past, find your joy in what God's doing in and through you today!