The apostle Paul wrote: "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." (Philippians 3:12-14)
A man complained to his friend... "I just can't take it any more".
His friend says, ""Well, what's wrong?"
He replies: "It's my wife. Every time we have an argument, she gets
historical."
"You mean HYSTERICAL, don't you?" the friend asks.
"No," he says, "I mean HISTORICAL. Every argument we have she always brings
up the past."
I recently came across the expression 'The Land of Beginning Again.' Isn't
that a warm and comforting thought? How often have we wished we could go
back and do something all over again? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could
get rid of all the regret and disappointment we carry around with us?
Wouldn't it be great if we could just leave them behind in a place and never
go back again?
Over 2,000 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes studied under a
respected tutor. After several years the teacher's mentoring seemed to have
paid off when Timanthes painted an exquisite work of art. Unfortunately, he
became so enraptured with the painting that he spent days gazing at it. One
morning when he arrived to admire his work he was shocked to find it blotted
out with paint. Angry, Timanthes ran to his teacher, who admitted he had
destroyed the painting. "I did it for your own good. That painting was
restricting your progress. Start again and see if you can do better."
Timanthes took his teacher's advice and produced Sacrifice of Iphigenia,
which is regarded as one of the finest paintings of antiquity.
Forgetting what is behind is an important part of understanding what hope is
all about. Hope is about what is to come, not what has been. The apostle
Paul understood this well. His past was filled with regret and
disappointment. He knew that he had to let go of the past and grab hold of
the present, because tomorrow would soon be here. The present is like an egg
laid by the past that has the future inside its shell.
We live in a rhythm of life between quitting one place and seeking another.
Consider the analogy of a trapeze artist swinging on a high bar to the
highest possible height, then letting go and reaching for the next bar with
hope and courage. Not quite here, not quite there, in mid-air there's a
sense of breathless suspense. This is the anxiety of faith. It requires
faith and hope. The transition will never be made unless the trapeze artist
(or the person of faith and hope) finds enough faith and hope to let go of
the past and take a leap of faith.
Let us heed the words of St Augustine: "Trust the past to God's mercy, the
present to God's love and the future to God's providence."
May you know the Lord's blessings all around the compass and the clock.
Agapé,
J.John
Useful link: www.philotrust.com
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