Rahab

Merril was asked to give a talk for Mothers Day.  It was about the women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. There were four who gave talks and Merrils topic was Rahab the harlot.  Merril had five minutes to talk.
I was the guinea pig for that talk.  I heard it at home many times while I timed Merril.  There were things she said that I had not even considered, that rang true with me.
Obviously in Rahabs profession she had certain “skills” which are obvious.  It was those that were not as obvious I found fascinating.  Merril said, and I agree with her, that Rahab would have needed people skills.  That is, she would have needed to be able to talk to anyone and make others feel comfortable.  (This is not assumed, but gleaned from the story.)
Why I find that fascinating, is that so often people see their past as something that has no value.  However on the contrary, what is seen as a negative can be a positive.  It is all in the direction we take.
I guess it is why I like the saying “eat the worms and spit out the germs.”  Our past is a hotch potch of good and bad.  There are elements that are useful.  To me, it is those elements we need into the future.
After all, who I am is made up of many things.  I have certain preferences and I am not alone with them.  There are other people with the same preferences, and all I go through can be useful if I let it.
I say “today is the first day of the rest of your life” and I wince at it, but it is true.  The choice is mine.  I can let my past hold me back, or I can use stuff and move on.  I heard a story once that talked about stones in a creek as being seen as barriers.  When the creek flooded those same stones became stepping stones.  My past can be a barrier or a stepping stone.  The choice is mine.