Going Forward

Phil. 13b, 14, "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."

I used to watch with my eyes wide and my mouth open in amazement as my sister-in-law next door would back down her long, cruved driveway at full speed. I can drive a car forward well enough, but somehow I have never learned the trick of contorting my body in such a way as to see where I'm going when I back up. so I have been known to back down familiar driveways looking forward.

Somehow I have never learned to live life looking backward either. I don't dwell at length on the past but try to enjoy the present moment and look toward the future. Not long ago I read this bit of advice, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Easier said than done. Certainly there will always be a deep longing for people who are no longer part of our lives. We remember them and honor their memory and their influence upon us. We also miss certain events in our lives that are over. But God has new people, new evernts, new challenges for us at every stage of life, and He desires that we embrace them and keep pace with Him and His new plans for us.

Father, I thank You for the rich heritage of my life in the past and the people who have so greatly influenced who I am today. I thank You that You are the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. As I remember loved ones who are no longer in my life, may I also embrace those who are present and all that You have for me today and tomorrow. Amen.