We spend so much of our lives looking back, don't we?
Either in sorrow over things we did or didn't do, over loved ones lost, over the toll that our days have taken...
...or, perhaps worse, we look back on the good days that have gone, and will not come again.
A lot of songs, a lot of books play up this pathos of the human condition.
But God doesn't want that for you. He doesn't want you to wallow in the flood of the tears you shed.
But He doesn't ignore them. He saves them, and transfigures them, I think that they might become jewels on your crown in Heaven.
God saves our tears
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? - Ps. 56.8
You can't steer a plow while looking back over your shoulder, you can't drive a car forward while looking in the rear-view mirror (yes, I've tried, how did you guess?), and as Paul points out, you can't run a race while thinking about what's behind you.
The prize is ahead of you. Even if you've got terminal cancer, the choices you make going forward are the attainment of Christ's calling, the spreading of the Gospel, Heaven's work.
Whatever is past, is past. Leave it behind, both the failures and the successes.
Christ is NOW.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
- Phil. 3:13-14
And finally, in the Kingdom of God, history does not repeat itself. Everything is made new, everything is transformed, everything is a fresh surprise.
Kind of like my dream car, a 60s VW Beetle with a 427 borrowed from a Shelby Cobra.
Behold, I make all things new
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. - Rev. 21:5
Music from Fleetwood Mac, Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow
Sylvia looks forward to ice cream. Old ice cream is either all melty, or freezer-burned. Fresh, please!
Hey you did it, man! Your first post as host of this legendary link-up. You've got all my congratulations and support. I'm cheering you on from the sidelines.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you so much! It was a challenge, mainly to my own reluctance to try new things in the digital age.
DeleteBy the way, I haven't been able to log in to Substack to leave a comment on your blog! I'll keep trying.
I absolutely hear what you're saying about reluctance to try new digital things, Andrew. That FOMU (fear of messing up) has held me hostage for so long. We'll keep moving ahead slowly but surely knowing we're in good company. I've left step by step instructions to logging in on the 2nd Substack post. I think it might help.
DeleteSo true. There are things God tells us to remember from the past, but He doesn’t want us to live there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting Tell His Story!
You're so right, Barbara!
Delete"Christ is now." Yes. This is a truth, a trust, I long to live in. Thanks for hosting us in your space, Andrew. I appreciate it much!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. Being able to do this is an honour.
DeleteWe learn from the past, yet don't live in the past. We look forward to the days ahead, yet aren't there yet. We live in the moment called today. May we make the most of the time we are given, living each day, moment by moment. You did it, Andrew! You are keeping the linkup going in this moment :) Thank you for doing so!
ReplyDeleteJoanne, you stated the looking back/looking ahead conundrum so elegantly!
DeleteHi Andrew, love this take on not looking back but foward to God's kingdom now. Not sure what's wrong with my Google account. Karen Girl Friday
ReplyDeleteKaren, thank you!
DeleteI have so much admiration for your decision to take on this role and the related tech challenges! Thank you for making space for us all!
ReplyDeleteMichele, after the initial What Have I Gotten Myself Into moment, the challenge was kinda fun.
DeleteAlso the challenge of writing a different kind of blog.
Andrew, thank you for taking the helm and giving us a space to share. You are an inspirational example of all you’ve advised in your post today. Pressing on to receive the prize…
ReplyDeleteYes, pressing on... though I can actually skip faster than I can run. Weird.
Delete"Christ is Now." A freedom statement, Andrew, that resonates within us.
ReplyDeleteLisa, when I realized that Christ Is Now, that's when Christianity fell into place for me.
DeleteGood thoughts. I love that Jesus's name is "I Am," present tense.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, yes! 'I Am.'
DeleteThanks for hosting the link-up, Andrew! And also for these encouraging words. I'm glad we can move forward knowing that God makes all things new, but it's also encouraging that he treasures our tears and doesn't ignore them. I like the thought of them being jewels on a crown.
ReplyDeleteLesley, thank you...and I think that perhaps God is telling us to concentrate on what's before us, that we're limited in our abilities but He's not.
DeleteYay, Andrew, your first link-up post is fabulous. :) I loved your thoughts about not looking back at the past. Being a visual person, the idea of steering a plow while looking behind you totally got me. Point received. I'm thankful God redeems our pasts when we walk with Him. We don't need to worry about choices and actions we can't change. But we can be encouraged knowing He's walking forward with us.
ReplyDelete