When a plane rolls down the runway for takeoff, it doesn’t do so with its nose pointing to the rear does it? If you know of one that does, please share so I can avoid that airline.
A football team doesn’t line up backwards because the goal is to move forward. Perhaps someone should share that with the Cowboys’ coaching staff (sorry my Dallas friends, I couldn’t resist).
These things I’ve stated are painfully obvious because the gain, the success, the POWER, is ours when we move forward, not backwards.
So why are so many of us stuck looking back at or even living in our past while the rest of the world moves forward without us?
There are counselors and therapists, who make a lot of money trying to help people answer that question, so I obviously won’t accomplish that in a brief essay, but I’ll offer an important point to think about—Jesus spent his ministry laying the foundation for what was to come, not dwelling on what had already passed.
The bible doesn’t tell us how Jesus sat around the campfire complaining about how Adam and Eve screwed up, or sharing how ticked off God must have been when the Israelites made a golden calf idol while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments.
Jesus spent His time looking ahead, trying to prepare his disciples for what was to come, even if they were too dense to comprehend it right away. He came to show a better way, to provide a path to salvation for mankind, but many missed it. They were too tied to their tradition, too connected to their past, to receive the Good News.
One of the worst answers I can get when I ask a question at work is “But we’ve always done it this way.” What opportunities are we missing because our focus is behind us? We’re trying to run plays lined up backwards and then wondering why they don’t work.
As I write this, tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of the passing of my beloved wife Bette, the lowest point of my life until the Lord lead me through that darkness into the light of the new, amazing future He had planned for me. From the time I dropped to me knees and made myself available for Him to mold, the Lord wasted little time presenting me one opportunity after another. The best of all, of course, was meeting and falling in love with my amazing wife Brenda. If I had been stuck in the past I had with Bette, it is extremely unlikely that Brenda and I would have ever met and I would have missed the cornerstone of so much God had lined up for me.
Brothers and sisters, I pray that you take Luke 9:62 to heart. No matter how you’ve been hurt, abused, disrespected, disappointed, or disillusioned, Jesus can show you a better way. He’ll do all the work inside of you, but the one thing you have to do is make yourself available. Perhaps the turning point in my life was that night in late October, 2004 when I was so broken, so vulnerable, I cried out to the Lord and asked Him to show my why I was still here and what He had planned for me.
I was right where He wanted me. Not the sad and hurting part, but the part where I was yielding my life to Him. I had never had such a strong feeling of despair, not knowing where to turn or what to do. I knew of nowhere else to go other than right into His arms. Despite all of my neglect over the years, He was waiting to hold me and comfort me like the loving Father He is. I had been trying to fly the plane backwards, but He showed me how to turn it around and my life is soaring as a result.
He wants to do the same for you.
I encourage you to let Him.
We had a wonderful time at the Healing Rain Conference last weekend. Brenda and I appreciate the hospitality from Raging Fire Ministries, and the powerful singing, dancing, and preaching that touched us both deeply.
We’ll be participating in our first Northern Virginia Fellowship meeting this Sunday at 11 AM. If you are interested in joining us, please drop me a note and I’ll get you directions.
I hope you’ve been encouraged by this note. If so, please pass it on to someone who needs an encouraging word. Also, please let me know if anyone would like to be added to this e-mail distribution.
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