[F]orgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
I’ve heard this passage before, as many have. I have always focused on the bit about ‘straining forward to what lies ahead’. And it’s true; we should always keep our eyes forward towards God’s vision. And this morning, two other thoughts occurred to me.
First, the heavenly prize isn’t entirely something in the distant future. It could be tomorrow, here on earth. We need to always strive and strain towards God’s kingdom come on earth. We do not need to put off until we die the desire and reality of seeing Jesus; we can see Jesus is in every person we meet. We can see God’s kingdom in every good deed we do, or we see others do. We need remember that straining to what lies ahead could be talking about this afternoon. Act now like you’re part of God’s kingdom on earth. This is the one instance where whether you believe it or not, acting in such a way absolutely makes it true. Be a part of bringing God’s kingdom here, and voila, you’ve done it.
The other thing I’m struck by this morning is the first part of this charge. Forget what lies behind. How often do we forget this part?! We behave towards others based on past hurts. We withhold love because of perceived slights. We judge because of cultural norms we’ve learned. We are called to forget all that lies behind.
Every person, every interaction, every intention can be holding us back if it’s rooted in the past. Or every person, every interaction, every intention can help us realize God’s dream for us, if we’re brave enough and trusting enough to let past hurts be in the past. Rather, treat every thing as if it is a brand new opportunity to love, because it is a brand new opportunity.
This morning, I’m thinking about the past and present, as I strain towards what lies ahead. If I don’t, I’m destined to stumble.
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