Remembering can hold me back

Philippians 3: ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

============

There he was, the bully who sat on me causing me to scrape my arm. I still had the scar after ten years but now I was ready for him. I was now muscular and just as big as him. “He’s going to apologize whether he likes it or not” I said to myself. 

When I walked up to him, he greeted me with a hug and the biggest smile. He was glad to see “old friends who love GOD.” Man, I guess I can’t pummel him today.

• When I hold on to the past I get stuck in the pain.
• When I replay history I get hysterical.
• When I go back to ancient times I wind up with agony.

Many people have messed up in their life in their actions toward me and I have messed up many times in my actions toward them. I have said things and done things that are downright hurtful and so have they. GOD wants me to focus on the prize instead of the problem.

• When I look to what GOD is doing I can forget what people have done.
• When I look to what GOD is doing I can forget when I have failed.
• When I look to what GOD is doing I can forget how the pain feels.

Funny thing about memory, the less it’s used the more I forget. In other words when I purposefully spend my time filling my memory with great thoughts, I don’t have time to fill it with pain. I can then replay the great moments and not replay the “not so great moments.”  In fact the more great moments I can replay the less “stuck” I become.

GOD has given me a gift, namely HIS SON. I now have hope and I can look at the future with a positive outlook no matter the circumstance.

• Are you holding onto the past?
• Are you blinded by what happened instead of looking at how GOD is changing the situation?
• Do you realize GOD is not constantly tormenting you about how you messed up?
• Can you consider for a moment GOD has love for you AND “that” person?