Philippians 3:13-14
“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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Regrets are a terrible thing. They keep our mind focused on what might have been instead of on what is. When we meditate on our past failures, we lose sight of the opportunities around us. The same thing is true if we meditate on our past successes. We can live so long in our glory days that we forget to pay attention to the opportunities to do something new and spectacular today. Paul understood the danger of focusing on the past–whether it be past sins and regrets or past successes and victories. He knew that the only way forward was to look straight ahead to the next opportunity.
Philippi was an ancient city in Greece. The people of Philippi would have been surrounded by Greek culture, and a big part of that culture were the Olympic games. One event of the Olympic games was the long jump. When athletes competed in the long jump, they held onto heavy weights. They had trained with these weights to strengthen their muscles. The weights were supposed to increase the distance of their jump. Athletes would hold onto these heavy weights until the height of their jump, then suddenly they would throw them off behind them and use the inertia to propel themselves forward in search of the greatest distance and the prize.
Paul, in this analogy, is comparing the works of our past to those heavy weights. In order to gain the maximum distance, we have to let go of our past. We have to throw the past far behind us, leave it there, and not look back. Instead, our focus should be on what God has in store for us today and in our future. In that way, we can continue to move forward in faith and win the prize that God has in store for us.
How sad it would be to end our lives and find that we had missed out on countless opportunities to see God’s glory and blessings in greater measure simply because we allowed our past to hinder our future. So let go of the past and those things that are behind you; take hold of the opportunities of today; and press forward with renewed hope in the limitless possibilities of tomorrow. You’ll be amazed at what God has in store for you!
Father, I thank you that you have great plans for me and for my life. Today, I am letting go of the things that have held me back. I am throwing away the weights of my past–the good AND the bad. Instead, Father, I want to focus on what you’re doing in my life right now and where you’re taking me in the future. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you. Help me to press forward in faith so that I can attain the full prize you have in store for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 