Sonrise Magazine

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive
the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.   Philippians 3:13-14
(NLT)
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs
4:25-27 (NLT)

“A Race Well Run” watercolor Kathy Hunt

As I pondered Philippians 3:13-14, my thoughts turned to that counsel relative to track, particularly cross-country runners.  In track, for the 100-yard dash, runners usually finish just seconds apart, so they constantly see movement either beside or in front of them, knowing where that places them. But cross-country runners typically don’t have another runner beside them. So, the only way to see if someone is closing in on them is to turn their heads and look behind them. Just glancing over their shoulder can cost them precious time, may cost them a personal best, and
perhaps even victory. My friend’s son experienced this first-hand as when he glanced backward briefly, his toe hit a root, which hurled him to the ground resulting in an ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. This occurred during his senior year of high school when college recruiters were scouting senior talent for scholarships.
Paul’s advice to the people of Philippi in Philippians 3:13-14 still applies to us. When Paul says he is forgetting the things behind him, he does not mean he cannot remember. Rather, Paul’s past failures or successes didn’t define him. Sometimes we hit the replay button, revisiting our past failures even though the damage has already been done. Also, some think about their successes and believe they have already reached their goals when God has much more planned for them.
That reminds me of a different race, between the tortoise and the hare. The hare, confident of his ability to outrun the tortoise, due to his past racing accomplishments, felt he had plenty of time to stop and take a nap. The tortoise persistently focused on what was before him—toddled right past the hare and won.
During the race, we will face obstacles. Like the cross-country runner, we will encounter hills, valleys, and potholes. We don’t face these obstacles alone; we overcome them through God’s grace. Keep running the race. Don’t compare yourself with others. Set your standards based on what God wants from you, and don’t look back. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now, it springs up. I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. While our past plays a part in who we are and teaches us how to handle the future with God’s grace, if we’re not careful, we can become paralyzed by what has happened, stunting our spiritual growth. Instead of running the spiritual race before us, our journey is paused by looking back. Backward thinking is harmful and leads to bitterness, regret, and even depression because we can’t go back and change the past.
In Luke 9:62, followers of Jesus discussed everyday tasks they needed to do before they journeyed with Him, such as burying the dead and returning home to say their goodbyes. But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God. This scripture has a significant personal meaning for me. Dad would occasionally let me drive the tractor but never plow a field.  I loved seeing the contrast of the fresh, damp dirt turned over in neat, straight rows in contrast to the grass on the unplowed side.  I remember begging Dad to let me plow but he had to be convinced first that I was able to focus enough, without distraction, to get the job done right.  So, the day he said, Yes, I knew he trusted me. Dad could not stress enough that you should never look back when plowing. When you look
back, you can’t steer very well, and the front wheel can wander from the previously plowed ridge, causing the line to become crooked. The first furrow plowed was the most important. It
had to be straight; each time back and forth, you had to put the right wheels of your tractor into the furrow you had just plowed, which was your guide. The straightness of the first furrow would
ensure the entire cultivated area would end up straight and square. Too many of us try to steer our lives by looking back. Rather than forgetting those things and moving on, we blame our crookedness on a lousy home life, circumstances, abuse,  etc. Even though this may be the case,
with Jesus, we can focus on what’s ahead, rather than regretting what’s behind us.
God doesn’t want us to look back and dwell on the past, which can hinder our spiritual growth and prevent further growth in our relationship with Him. By repeatedly looking back, we begin
to focus on regrets, which cause guilt, shame, or anxiety, rather than having an unobstructed pathway to partner with God for the growth and blessings he will bring as we move forward. In the Serenity Prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, we are encouraged to accept what we cannot change. Author Cherríe L. Moraga is credited with the quote, Don’t let the past steal your present. Once we deal with our past issues, we can move forward into a new day and beginning. Think about how you view your life. Regrets are joy stealers; they keep us living in the past, looking backward rather than moving forward. How might you be limiting what God has
purposed for you today, becoming sidelined and sidetracked by diversions that keep you from moving forward? Give the past to God. He has so much more for you because He is ready to do a new thing that will spring up as you invite Him to make a way in the wilderness and open
flowing streams in the desert.

Joyce Olsen (Sonrise Magazine Editor) Author. Majored in Child Psychology and Elementary Education at Biola University and Fresno State University in California. However, her natural bent seemed to better match business and administration. In those fields, she worked in corporate administration, church administration, and also as an Information Security Analyst in the medical field. The focus of her writing is to inspire and provoke thought. Find her book on Amazon: Extraordinarily Crafted: Uniquely Designed for Kingdom Impact  Reach me at olsen_jm@hotmail.com