“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:1
Recently Alex Honnold made “the ultimate climb” …… without a rope. His stunning climb up the 3,000 foot granite wall known as El Capitan came after meticulous planning and training. He clung to the side of the granite wall with nothing more than the tips of his fingers and two thin edges of shoe rubber.
He attempted to do something that professional rock climbers have long thought was impossible—a “free solo” ascent of the world’s most iconic cliff. That means he was alone and climbing without a rope as he inched his way up more than half a mile of sheer rock. He made it to the top in less than four hours.
His press interview after the climb was informative and interesting, but the one thing that hit me was when he spoke of the dangers, one of the greatest being to look down to where he had climbed. Never look back. It’s a killer.
Paul in writing to the church at Philippi cautioned the fellowship about looking back. He said to forget the past and focus on the future. Jesus said that no one with a hand on his plow is fit for the kingdom if he looks back.
In life looking back is not going to help you. We have to look forward. We can cry over spilled milk or we can look for another cow. The longer we keep looking back in the rear view mirror it takes away from what is moving forward. Never look back; nothing ever changes there. Don’t look back because you are not going that way.
The next time Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Through prayer and spiritual growth, we can more easily put our past behind us and move forward to achieve the great things God has planned for us. Isaiah 43:18 tells us through prayer and spiritual growth, we can more easily put our past behind us and move forward to achieve the great things God has planned for us.
All of us have had bad things happen in our past that we would like to go back and change – some because of outright mistakes that we made (“poor choices”) and some due to circumstances beyond our control. Regardless of the reasons why, we have a tendency to look back, reflect on these difficult moments and wish that things had been different. Sometimes, this “rear view” thinking can weigh so heavily on our feelings that it interferes with our current choices and our ability to effectively move on with our lives.
Like the rock climber, if we look back we are likely to fall and get snared into the sins of our past. Look ahead and see what great things God has in store for us and when we finish this great climb of life there is glory for us waiting at the top.
By John Grant
Used by Permission
FURTHER READING
• A Place We Call Home
• They Say I’m Nothing, but I’m Something by Londeka Zondi
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