Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and freewrite, with no editing, about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "back."
Don’t look back. You’ll get glass in your eyes. That’s something one of my friend’s dads used to say to him. He told him in case they were ever in a car accident and got hit from behind, to not look back.
The apostle Paul said something similar. He told the Church to forget those things that were behind, but to press on to the hope of the calling that is in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
One of my favorite shows is Call the Midwife. There is a Christmas episode where one of the characters is exploring events that happened in one of her patient’s past. The nuns at Nonnatus House tell her that isn’t helpful, that the past doesn’t matter. What is important is the here and now.
I have made so many bad decisions in my life. If I let it, I could get completely bogged down in that. If I look back, I could get glass in my eyes. Looking back can cause pain.
That’s why Paul told the Church to forget.
Can you actually forget, without there being any trace of it in your memory? No, not really. But what you can do it to let go of the thoughts. They cannot help you now. You cannot change anything. And you can turn your focus to the moment. You can look at what is in front of you and press on toward hope.
Jesus has a bright future for you. It is full of goodness and grace, and more grace. Because we are always growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Keep looking and moving forward. Don’t look back.
Great post! Though I think it's good to look back and acknowledge the past, learn from it and let it go. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and moving forward, that's the way to go! :) Blessings to you! I'm your neighbor at #FiveMinuteFriday.
ReplyDeleteLove the analogy of the glass in your eyes, it makes it easy to remember that if you focus on looking back it causes pain. We can’t keep focusing on past failures, very good thank you.
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