Put It In The Rearview Mirror

Put It in the Rearview Mirror

In his first golf tournament as a high schooler, a young freshman playing with upperclassmen hit a poor tee shot. This wasn’t unexpected for the young golfer. But what made the young man’s father proud was the maturity he saw developing in his son. Normally, it would take three or four more shots to overcome this one bad shot. But not this time.

Instead of being distracted by his past mistake, the young golfer got out his five iron and decided to go for it. With a tough lie, this young left-hander got over the ball and let it fly. The ball landed inches from the cup and resulted in a birdie for the hole.

How well do you put your mistakes in the rearview mirror? In Philippians 3:13-15, the apostle Paul says, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.”

Having a forward focus requires us to learn quickly from our mistakes so that we don’t repeat them. It also requires us to receive fresh grace for our mistakes so that we don’t beat ourselves up over them. So let’s learn from this young golfer and the great apostle how to put our past behind us through the grace of Jesus and strive for God’s purposes today!

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14