Say Goodbye to Yesterday
2 Corinthians 5:17 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
There was always one.
One student always showed up to youth group and sat in the back. Hoodie up. Eyes down. Never sang. Never responded.
And I could not stop thinking about him.
We did not start Elevation Rhythm for big stages. We started in rooms like that—small, loud, and imperfect— with students like that who were not yet sure what they believed about God but still came.
We began by remixing worship songs, just trying to help them connect. Eventually, we started writing our own. Not to sound cool. Not to go viral. But because we knew not every kid listens to the same thing, and if God speaks every language, then maybe He could speak through every genre, too.
Our hope was that in all the noise of the world, they would hear one song that felt personal like God was saying, “This one is for you.”
During one of those writing days, it was just me, Gracie Binion, and Mitch Wong. We were talking through what God had done in our lives and how hard it can be to stop believing the lies about who we used to be.
Then Gracie said, almost in passing, “I think I finally said goodbye to who I used to be.”
And that was it. We knew our students needed to hear that.
That was the beginning of our song “Goodbye Yesterday.”
We already had the name of the album, Victory Lap, but the meaning sank in deeper that day.
A victory lap is what you take after the race is finished—Not to win but to celebrate what has already been won. That is what life in Jesus is. Freedom. Not striving.
And maybe today, you are the one sitting in the back, not literally but in your heart. You are still unsure if God sees you and still dragging around the shame of a life He already paid for.
If that is you, hear this: you do not have to be weighed down by a version of yourself Jesus already set free.
The cross is before you. The past does not have to define you because He has already won. So, say the words even in a whisper.
“Goodbye, yesterday.”
And the rest of your life? It is your Victory Lap.
— Josh Holiday
Lyrics:
Goodbye yesterday
I’m living in the light of a new day
I won’t waste another minute in my old ways
Praise the Lord I’ve been born again
Goodbye yesterday
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
I’ve got resurrection in my veins
Praise the Lord, I’ve been born again
Again and again and again and again
You rescued me out of the mess I was in
Traded my sorrow for something to sing
I’m dancing on the grave that I once lived in
I have decided
To follow Jesus
The world behind
The cross before
I won’t turn back
Written by Joshua Holiday, Gracie Binion, Mitch Wong, Steven Furtick
