ARE WE DRAGGING “STUFF” AROUND?
Yes, I am seriously and honestly asking that of myself – and of
you. I look inside and am keenly aware
of how I feel sometimes. I turn and
cannot help but see others and the bulging backpacks they are carrying around
while attempting to stand up beneath the weight. Our backs sag and our steps get slower; the
ascent of life strains at every last bit of energy that we have left. Is this really how it was meant to be? In the grand scheme of God’s plan for our
everyday living, the answer is a loving, but reverberating “NO!” From before the beginning of time, He saw us
how we CAN be! Running up steep mountain
trails, across what seems like never-ending valleys, over slippery rocks in
rushing streams – free of baggage and burdens.
We move with agility, in freedom, adeptly, with confident strides. We move with vigor and speed when our hope is
in the Lord, like the eagle that Isaiah likened us to. He wrote in chapter 40, verse 31, that our
strength would be renewed – much like an exchange of our weakness for God’s
strength. Much like a change of clothes;
the taking off of our human strength and putting on Christ and His strength –
wearing it even as clothing is worn. Isaiah
says that we will soar on wings like eagles!
That’s a far cry from struggling with the weight of each step, barely
staying on our feet. Again, we find ourselves
invigorated and living full speed ahead, soaring over the humps and bumps of
life – rather than being taken down by them!
So, do you ever ask yourself what is in your backpack? What is weighing you down? I receive occasional e-mails from someone I’ve
never met in person, but who impacts me with the real-life application of her
stories based on scripture. She spoke of
a friend of hers who runs the “deaf ministry” in the church she attends. This particular Sunday she decided to sit in
the section where he stands in front and signs everything that’s going on for
the hearing impaired. She termed it “fascinating”,
as she had never really seen a person sign for more than just a few seconds. But, she said, “watching someone sign for
over an hour – and being able to actually SEE the words that you’re HEARING
signed, is a totally different experience.”
What really struck Lisa during the service were some repeated phrases
like … “putting the past behind me” … “in the past” … “forgetting about the
past.” She explained that every time one
of these phrases came up in the message, Nathan would make this gesture that
looked like he was throwing something BEHIND him and then flipping his hand up …
so it was totally GONE. Over. Done with.
Finished. She watched him make
that little gesture over and over again.
And she felt the Spirit of God nudging her that this was like a lesson
in what it actually means to put the PAST behind us. Because on the other hand, if we were to
create a physical gesture for what most of us do with “the past” it would look
more like this … We’d throw the past behind us, then turn around and look at it
… run toward it … pick it right back up … review it thoroughly and then repeat
the process … OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Can you
relate? Unzip your backpack and see what’s
in there: it’s all the things we hold on
to that weigh us down – failures, letdowns, experiences that hurt us,
disappoint us, frustrate us or make us angry or fearful. No wonder our baggage is SO heavy! Then, we can hardly carry it because we replay
and relive and rehash all that stuff over and over and over again – sometimes MANY
TIMES A DAY. We never let it go. And we
definitely don’t put it behind us! But,
like Lisa asks, “WHAT IF we could actually do that little gesture Nathan did
when he was “signing” in our REAL LIFE?
What if we could take that moment or experience from the past, throw it
BEHIND US and actually LEAVE IT THERE?
How would our lives be different?”
Let’s think about this … how would our lives be different if we were no
longer held prisoner by our past? God
has given us a VISUAL of what that looks like:
“To FORGET the past, LOOK FORWARD and PRESS ON.” In Philippians chapter 3, Paul admits that he
hasn’t “gotten” it all and is not perfect … but this one thing he does: “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.”
(verses 12-14) You see, Paul’s
goal is Christ’s goal for him – and Christ supplies the resources that make it
possible for Paul – and us – to press on toward the goal! We are able to leave the past behind us – as done
with and settled! Or we can spend our
moments remembering and fixating on our past mistakes and disappointments and
in turn, keep shoving more and more of that STUFF into our backpacks so we can
drag them around some more. But I want
to challenge you … the next time you see yourself caught up in your past … pay
attention to it. Picture yourself
holding that thought in your hand. Wrap
your fist around it. And THROW it over
your shoulder. Now it’s GONE! Behind you.
Never to return again … IF YOU WILL LEAVE IT THERE! Because … let’s be honest, dear ones, like
Lisa says, hasn’t your past already stolen enough of your life already? It’s time to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL that
God has called us to! No more looking
back . . .
REMEMBER . .
. “There are better things ahead ~ than any we leave behind.” ~ C.S.
Lewis
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
(Note: see sidebar for information on weekly ministries, or call us for a copy of the monthly calendar and weekly announcements. Better yet, we invite you to come and join us in worship on Sunday morning at Elevation North!)
