Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead… (Philippians 3:13)
How do I move on? Do you ever find yourself asking that? You can’t break free from the past. The hurt is too much. Every once in a while, you feel like you’re healed, but then that one person or one thought triggers a flood of awful memories, and the regret fills your heart all over again. How do I move on?
I was once talking with a friend about my life not working out. About how things were not going according to my plans—at all! I struggle with that. It’s so easy to constantly dwell on the past. To regret what’s been done. To want to redo decisions. To wish I can go back and change things, but I can’t!
And that friend wisely said, “Nathan, there’s this verse that goes like this: ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…’” He added, “You don’t have to spend your life looking back. Your sins are already forgiven at the cross. God has taken hold of you and your life. Forget what’s behind.”
That was exactly what I needed to hear. Life isn’t about what’s happened in my past or your past. It’s about what happened in Jesus’ past. Jesus lived and died and rose to save us. That means we have hope. That means we have a future. That means we always have something to look forward to: Heaven!
If anyone needed help in forgetting the past, it was Paul himself. Do you remember his past? He had spent the first decades of his life zealously persecuting the Christian church. He had thrown Christians in jail. He had watched as Christians were stoned to death. Do you think the devil tried to use those memories to wrack Paul with a guilty conscience? I’m sure he did!
But Jesus wouldn’t let him. Jesus filled Paul with enough grace to forget what was behind.
That’s why you don’t have to dwell on the past either. You don’t have to keep asking why you had to go through what you did. Because you know where you’re going—heaven! And you know who’s going to get you there—Jesus! Jesus frees us to forget what is behind.
Dear Jesus, my past often catches up to me. My heart gets filled with guilt and regret and pain. Thank you for already dying for every one of my sins. Please give me the strength to forget what is behind. Amen.
Comments