The Apostle Paul wrote and spoke about renewal a lot. I believe that’s because he had experienced such a remarkable turnaround in his own life. Paul could have tried to hide his past of hunting down Christians, but he knew that God wanted that fact to actually be a part of his testimony.
It’s tempting to try keeping our past sitting on a shelf where, hopefully, no one else will see it. But God may want to use those moments/choices/actions we’re not so proud of. It sounds strange or even scary, but in God’s hands (in His timing and with His leading) our stories can bring hope and even healing to others.
Blessings, Heather

“The only way to get rid of your past is to make a future out of it. God will waste nothing.”
Phillips Brooks
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9