But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
It is tempting at times to look back, but
Jesus warned us about it. He used the example
of a man plowing a field. The farmer
must keep his eyes fixed on the ground before him, if his furrow is to be
straight. To look back is to go astray and maybe worse—to run into a rock, tree
or fence post!
We must not be LIMITED by our past. We all have a past—some of it is good, some of
it is bad. There are decisions we ought
not to have made—and we may still be living with the consequences. Life has no rewind button. Regret will only hinder us from getting where
we need to go. “Don’t cry over spilt
milk!” is the old saying. On second thought, maybe you do cry with remorse,
confess in repentance, but then claim forgiveness and move on. Failure need not be final. The pages of the Bible are filled with men
and women of faith who messed up, but moved ahead.
We cannot LIVE in the past. This is the polar opposite of limiting ourselves
by past failures—it is relying on previous successes. This happens when we do not succumb to regret,
but nostalgia. It is, “The good old days”
syndrome. We idolize the way it used to
be—which is seldom as good as we imagined anyway—and this hinders us from
embracing the opportunity of the present time.
Paul had this wonderful resolve,
Not
that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I
may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to
have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
Let’s grab the plow handles firmly, look straight
ahead, and go! Don’t look back!
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