“Forgetting those things which are behind…”

Many of us have a problem with forgetfulness. We tend to forget things like birthdays, anniversaries, names and faces. Sometimes this can be a bit awkward. However, there are times when forgetfulness can be a good thing. In Philippians 3:13-14 the apostle Paul writes, “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 for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s point is that he was not going to expect past accomplishments to be sufficient to win his way into heaven. Paul felt that the past was past, it was what he did in the here and now that mattered. This is a lesson we all need to learn. Sometimes we let mistakes of the past keep us from doing things in the present. We are afraid that we may fail again. Sometimes we let guilt over things done in the past keep us from being as productive as we could be in the present. Sometimes we feel that the accomplishments of the past relieve us of any responsibility to do things now. The past is past. It is what we do now that matters. We need to forget the past and work to do what we can now. Forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead.