The Backward Glance

Dear Kindred Spirits in Christ,

I caught myself looking back recently, into my past, and although there are pleasant memories there - those weren't the ones I focused on. I know it's good to learn from our mistakes, but I think it's just as important not to dwell on them. Yet I found myself circling around old issues and ancient outcomes. Forgiving and forgetting are light years away from each other, and I landed somewhere between being sorry for what I've lost and feeling grateful for what I still have.

Philippians 3:14 states: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Pressing forward has nothing to do with what happened yesterday or last month, or 20 years ago. I tell myself to stop looking back - that I have to keep going - and we all do, if we want to arrive safely at our eternal destinations.

I need to add the scripture preceding it. Philippians 3:13 says: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead...And there it is, the truth of the matter. I'm not there yet, but I have to keep trying, I have to keep reaching for the prize. Do any of you struggle at times with this? Do you ever get caught up in regretful thoughts, old outcomes or painful recollections?

When we repent, we have a heavenly Father who erases all of our sinful mistakes from the Book of Life. Through our Lord Jesus, they disappear forever. This is so profound, yet so amazingly simple and filled with loving kindness. I'm reminded that we are new creatures in Christ, and only the enemy tries to convict us again and again. I know this, in my heart of hearts, yet I sometimes fall prey to the sadness and remorse. The world may not let me forget, but praise God, I'm not of the world anymore. Join me in pressing forward, in shaking off the things that don't matter anymore. We're free and we're on our way home!

Love Always,

Marti