“I press on . . to win the prize for which God has called me.” Philippians 3:14 NIV
“Yesterday is gone. You didn’t control it then; you can’t change it now.”
My thoughts today are about “moving forward.”
Life is best lived in one direction only – forward! You are an accident waiting to happen if you are looking backward while moving forward. Yesterday is gone. You didn’t control it then; you can’t change it now. Yesterdays have some good points. Your history holds the times and events that formed what you have become – family connections, faith foundations, experience gained, lessons learned, friendships built, memories stored, traditions begun – all can be invaluable for the life still ahead of you.
The need is to realize that not everything about yesterday was good. Among the good, you may also struggle with mistakes made, hurts felt, friendships lost, or things you wish you had never said or done. Those things complicate your excitement and confidence about moving forward. God never meant for that part of yesterday to be dragged along for a lifetime. Yesterday may have been good where it was, not so good where you are now. In God, there is always a greater and more wonderful day ahead for you. See 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NKJV.
Memory is a wonderful thing, when you learn to be selective. What is the struggle too often for too many people? They are capable of remembering in vivid detail every thing they should forget, forgetting what they should remember! The answer is simple: if it helps you, hold onto to it; if it haunts, hurts, or handicaps you – let it go! Some things of the past need to be left there. “Lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles, and run with endurance the race that is set before (you) . . fixing your eyes on Jesus.” Hebrews 12:1-2 NAS.
But how? Bring it all to Jesus. If it’s sin, let Him forgive it. If it hurts, let Him heal it. If it’s someone else’s problem, let Him handle it. If it’s your failure, let Him redeem it. “Surely, He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5. People seem tenacious about hanging on to stuff that hurts themselves or others. But why?
Don’t lose sight of life’s singular objective. Paul shared God’s secret of joyous life. “One thing I do – forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal – to win the prize for which God has called me.” Philippians 3:13-14 NIV. Your past has no power to provide or predict your future; God controls that. Press on! (I feel this is a word for someone, “You have circled this mountain long enough; now turn north!” Deuteronomy 2:3 NAS).
I love the practical, Godly wisdom of Joseph. As a result of his brothers’ jealousy and treachery, he could have been buried by yesterdays. While in Egypt, he had two sons whose names told his story of redemption. His first son, he named Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” A second son he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:51-52. The right kind of forgetfulness can provide a cleaner future for fruitfulness. Be free to step into your destiny, alive and well.
My prayer for you today is that you face forward and walk boldly in faith.