Pressing On
Yesterday was a very difficult day. On many accounts my heart was saddened. I stood in a courtroom and listened as the fate of my marriage and my children were dispatched in 3 five minute orations by lawyers and then a commissioners ruling. As I spent most of the remainder of the day contemplating the results, I feel into a deep sorrow.
The home and family structure my children have known throughout their lives was officially restructured. A great loss for them. The life I had dreamed of and worked hard for, for 18 years was no more. The cause of Christ, who I love dearly, has been smeared with the ugliness of failed human relationships. All in all not a good day.
As I turned to the scriptures, as I often try to do, I was reminded of a passage my Youth Pastor made me memorize as a teenager:
Phillipians 4:12 – 14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Powerful words. Paul one of the greatest Christian leaders of the early church said “I havent arrived”, “Im not perfect”, “I keep going after God, because He is after me”. How does he do it? He forgets the past, keeps the future in front of him, straining to reach it. Straining – I think that denotes hard effort! He presses on, always mindful of the goal.
My high school track coach, Coach Jackson, had me running the two mile run. Not a very pleasant thing! I was not a fast runner, and would often get left early in the race (only got lapped once!). But he coached me to keep running, maintain my pace, even if it looks like I am left in the dust. It took me a few races to catch on, but I did. You see, the biggest challenge to the two mile run is finishing it! Often those kids that took off and ran hard early would drop out or tire to almost a crawl, and eventually before the race was over, I would catch up and often pass some and some would fall by the way exhausted or cramped. I never got first place, but I always finished.
Good to remember, especially in life. You see there is not really a first place, just a finish line. So today my encouragement to you, as I have been encouraged, Press On! Forget those things which are behind and keep Christ in your sights.
Oh, and don’t forget Pauls encouragement in verse 16, “Only let us live up to what we have already attained”.
Blessing and Peace
