But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal ...

Philippians 3:13b-14a

By nature, I’m a past-focused person. There is some benefit to being wired this way, as it helps me recall good things in the past. Yet it also causes me to ruminate on failures, hurts, regrets, and things I wish had gone better.

Looking back isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The best purpose for looking back is focusing on God’s faithfulness to us, even in our hard times. I gain comfort when I look back on how God was working in my life, which I see more clearly in the present.

Paul could have looked back on his failures with constant shame. Instead, he focused on what lay ahead for him: eternal life with Jesus. Focusing on that hopeful future is a good way to balance out looking back.

Sarah Geringer
Jackson, MO

Lord Jesus, help me press on without getting stuck in looking back. Amen.

Reflect: Believe that God will redeem your past and prepare good things ahead for you.

Read: 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Philippians 3:12