Today’s scripture: Philippians 3:12-14 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me in this passage? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Christen Peters):
I am, by nature, someone who holds onto “things” for a long, long time. I am the techie with adapters for connector types that haven’t been used on computers for the last 7 years. I am loathe to get rid of any old clothing. . . or potting flats from the nursery. . . or anything else that I think I might have some use for down the line.
I also, though, can still tell you the name of a police officer that I thought pulled me over unfairly in 1989, and successfully recreate the remorse I felt for an angry conversation with a family member 6 years ago. So it’s not just “things” I hold on to.
I’ve been in a period of deep self-examination. And my propensity for holding onto past hurts and guilt has been one of the hardest things for me to face. It also, though, is the one thing that has caused me the most discomfort.
I had been struggling in my efforts to change my view when I came across this verse in Philippians 3 as part of an earlier Be Still assignment:
“…but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…”
This verse has made its way to the forefront of my mind on several occasions when I was slipping into ‘scorekeeping’ or wishing that I could just take a mulligan. I have found that when I remember to leave the past in the past, I look forward to each day a little bit more than I did before.
Thought for the day: The past is over and done. Dragging it along with me into tomorrow keeps me from really experiencing the uniqueness of each new day God has granted me.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. Use the item above as a starting point, or consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.