One place that I go every year whether on vacation or to
counsel is Camp YoliJwa. This year the camp's theme is Press On. It comes from
the verse Philippians 3:14 which says: "I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
It seems like a fitting theme for what has happened in the world. We all got blindsided by COVID last year. No one, except God, was expecting a virus to shut down the world. Many of us got sick, were stuck at home, lost jobs, lost money, etc. We all had rough years. And, we all have a choice.
One quote I say to my soccer players a lot is: "when something happens you have a choice: you can let it rule you or fuel you." That is a lot like this verse. When bad things happen, we can dwell on them. We can focus on how bad our lives are. We can complain about how unfair life is. Or we can choose to press on. We can say "this situation will not beat me." We can lean into God or press into him. We can gain strength from going through a difficult situation with the Lord by our side.
Think about something that has happened in your life that may have been what you consider a bad situation. Did that problem bring you closer to God or did it make you angry with the Lord? Reflection is important in life. It is good to look back and see how much you have changed and grown. However, we cannot continue to be content to just sit by and stay stagnant in our growth. Verse 13 in Philippians 3 says "Brothers and sisters, 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." If we dwell on the past, we will not be focused on our goal. It is just like in a race. You can look back for a bit but if you continue to look back you will trip and fall. That's why Paul tells us to press on toward the prize. If we keep our eyes fixed on our goal or heaven, then we will make a difference for the kingdom. We will grow in God. We will, eventually, finish the race and truly abide with Jesus, our savior.
So, are you focused too much on the past that you are hindering your future? How can you grow in God today? Are you focused on pressing on toward our heavenly goal?
It seems like a fitting theme for what has happened in the world. We all got blindsided by COVID last year. No one, except God, was expecting a virus to shut down the world. Many of us got sick, were stuck at home, lost jobs, lost money, etc. We all had rough years. And, we all have a choice.
One quote I say to my soccer players a lot is: "when something happens you have a choice: you can let it rule you or fuel you." That is a lot like this verse. When bad things happen, we can dwell on them. We can focus on how bad our lives are. We can complain about how unfair life is. Or we can choose to press on. We can say "this situation will not beat me." We can lean into God or press into him. We can gain strength from going through a difficult situation with the Lord by our side.
Think about something that has happened in your life that may have been what you consider a bad situation. Did that problem bring you closer to God or did it make you angry with the Lord? Reflection is important in life. It is good to look back and see how much you have changed and grown. However, we cannot continue to be content to just sit by and stay stagnant in our growth. Verse 13 in Philippians 3 says "Brothers and sisters, 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." If we dwell on the past, we will not be focused on our goal. It is just like in a race. You can look back for a bit but if you continue to look back you will trip and fall. That's why Paul tells us to press on toward the prize. If we keep our eyes fixed on our goal or heaven, then we will make a difference for the kingdom. We will grow in God. We will, eventually, finish the race and truly abide with Jesus, our savior.
So, are you focused too much on the past that you are hindering your future? How can you grow in God today? Are you focused on pressing on toward our heavenly goal?
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