Obstacle #3 Looking Back

Brothers, 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, Philippians 3:13

It is so easy to get distracted in our walk by our past. Whether it be good things in our past or bad. In order to grow in our faith we have to have our eyes looking forward and on Christ.

Those of us who lead a life of sin before being called by God to a new life can easily be entangled by looking back at our past. It can rob us of our confidence, our security, and our hope if we let it. In the past, I would struggle when around other Christians, because I did not want them to know my past. I would lie or hide things, because I thought that what was in my past made me less of a Christian. The truth though, is that my past sin brings God great glory now because my new life shows how truly amazing God’s grace really is. If He can pull a wretch like me out of a pit, He can pull anyone out. The enemy wants to use my past to bring guilt and condemnation to me, but God means for it to show His power and salvation. On occasion I will be plagued by a thought of my past that makes me sick to my stomach. Instead of giving into shame and discouragement I immediately have to rebuke it and praise God for His great salvation before the thought becomes a stumbling block for me.

Just as easily as I can become entangled by negative thoughts of my past, I can also be just as affected by good things in the past. Being in the military and moving so often, I always miss my friends at my previous base. I left New Mexico almost a year ago now, and I still miss my friends there so much. It is hard at times to keep my eyes on God’s plans for me here rather than looking back at how much I enjoyed my time there. I can do the same thing in my marriage or with my children. Who wouldn’t want to go back to those days when our husbands where ooog-a-lee eyed over us and lavished us with love notes and red roses. Do they love us less now than they did back then?? No, of course not. How they show it has changed, but I know that my husband’s love for me (and mine for him) has only grown and matured. I could look all day at sweet pictures of my children when they were little and wish they were so small again. Instead, I am to be thankful for who they are now, and how God has grown them and me, as they continue to move into new stages in their lives.

We may always remember our past, but we should use it to see how much we have grown and then look forward to how many more wonderful things God has for us ahead.