By Brandon Walker
“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
There's an old saying that I honestly can't pinpoint it's origin, but it's so true. It's been said that the reason the windshield on a car is bigger than the rear view mirror is because we should spend more time looking ahead of us than behind us while we're driving. And, while I'm uncertain of who said this first (because an "original" thought is simply a forgotten source), this saying couldn't be more true when applied to our Christian walk of faith. Paul spoke of this very idea in the book of Philippians. If there was ever such a Christian that could be tempted to struggle with his life and actions of the past, it could easily be Paul. Paul's life before he met Jesus was less than stellar to say the least. Paul even refereed to himself as the "worst of the worst" in the book of 1 Timothy. As a zealous member of the Pharisees and a member of the Sanhedrin, an elite council of the Jews, Paul actively persecuted the church and had Christians thrown into jail and even killed. When we are first introduced to Paul in the book of Acts, it's at the stoning of Stephen. Paul basically tells those that stone Stephen "take off your coats and I'll watch them while you stone this guy." He highly approved of not just this execution of Stephen, but many others. But, once Paul met Jesus, he became a new man, and a new creation in Christ. However. Paul had the memory of his past in his mind. It had to be one of Satan's constant attacks on Paul. I can only imagine that "the accuser" that is Satan must have reminded Paul of his past life and failures constantly. But how did Paul deal with the memory of his past? We are told he "strained" toward what lies ahead. Strained. This word is translated to mean "to stretch forth" and to "reach forward." This means it's an active, deliberate attempt to move forward. In other words, it would take intentional effort. But, what was Paul's motivation for doing this? It's found in verse 12 of the same chapter: because Jesus Christ made Paul his own. Paul reminded himself that he literally belonged to Jesus, in every single way. He had been rescued and pulled out of the misery and pain of his past for a higher calling: to serve and love Christ in a way that also served and loved others. In this rock solid truth, Paul found his meaning in life, and his purpose for the future. This was such a powerful reminder to Paul when he was tempted to dwell on past mistakes.
Maybe that's you today. We all struggle with past mistakes and sins. It's impossible to forget things. Especially when our enemy in Satan loves to accuse and remind us daily. But if we are able to always remember our past sins, we also have the ability to remember why we "strain" forward to look ahead at our present calling and identity, and also our future belonging. We press ahead because Jesus has made us His own. We are brand new. We are not the same, and are always being molded into the image of the One who saved us. And while our memory reminds us of the past, it's just that : a memory. Through the Holy Spirit, we have the power to fight back against our regrets and Satan. Strain forward, Christian. Straining implies it won't be easy. But take heart, all things are possible through the God we belong to. Amen and amen.