The Vault
“I have this thing I call ‘the vault,'” the pastor said as an introduction to the personal story he was about to share. I’m not sure why, but I immediately pictured the kind of vault that is a gymnastics apparatus. Everyone else, I’m pretty sure, was picturing what he actually meant: a locked-up safe.
But I quickly clued in to what he meant, as he shared about his painful family history and the thoughts and feelings he struggled with as a young boy–things that are tempting for many of us to hide away and not admit or ever deal with. We stuff those things in “the vault” and try not to open it again.
As his story progressed, we learned that it was one of redemption, which is the best kind of story! As he spoke, my mind wandered back to the kind of vault I had originally pictured, and my spirit quickened. We don’t have to lock away our painful past and be weighed down by it for the rest of our lives. No! We can choose to use it as a launching pad to send us higher and further than we even thought possible!
And I envisioned my all-time favorite gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, earning her perfect 10 for her vault in the 1984 Olympics. She was so strong, intense, beautiful, and powerful! Nothing held her back–not doubt, not fear, not intimidation. I felt funny thinking about this image as it related to the sermon. I was probably the only one in the room listening to the pastor that day and picturing this kind of vault, but I love that this is what God brought to my mind, because it has stuck with me. (Now, of course, I’m thinking about “sticking the landing.” But I digress…)
Friends, what happened in our past does not have to dictate our future or serve as our identity. If we allow Him to do so, God can redeem our past and use it for our good and His glory.
But the Lord doesn’t force Himself on us. We still get to choose. We can choose to let our past, our baggage, define us and hold us captive, making our vault look like this:
Or we can choose to use what looks like a giant obstacle as a springboard for greater things, making our vault look like THIS:
Which will it be for you?
P.S. Mary Lou needed a perfect 10 to seal her place as Olympic Champion. She got it on her first attempt, which meant she didn’t even have to use her second attempt if she didn’t want to. But she took it anyway. And got another perfect 10.
