Is Your Past Getting in the Way of Moving Forward?

“Boy I sure miss the good old days.”

I’m sure you’ve either heard someone use that phrase, or maybe you’ve said it. I’ve uttered those exact words a time or two myself. I mostly go there when facing a tough time that I believe would have been better when I was younger.

Then I ask myself, “Is there value in comparing today to the past?”

For example, when I find myself in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I often reflect on my younger years when pulling out of my driveway onto a rural road didn’t seem to take forever. Yes, there were definitely benefits to that time in my life—at least when it came to getting around.

Traffic was lighter, unless it was shift change time at the local mill. There were fewer traffic lights causing backups. Fewer intersections causing traffic to stop and turn. Fewer businesses and driveways in general, generating traffic in and out.

At the same time, there were fewer lanes on most roads. You had to wait longer for the single line of traffic to clear. Businesses were farther apart. You had to drive farther to get to the whatever you needed. Businesses were more specialized. You had to visit more places to get various items.

So, while I’m sure my perception now of the good old days being better when driving somewhere, I’m not actually sure it took less time. Maybe the time was just spent a little differently.

Back to my question, “Is there value in comparing today to the past?”

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Paul had a few words to say about that. Look at what he says in Philippians 3.

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14, ESV)

Why would Paul want to forget his past? In the preceding verses, Paul specifically talked about his accomplishments prior to knowing Christ. He mentioned his religious pedigree, his zeal, his strict adherence to the law. He considered himself to be a Hebrew of Hebrews.

But wait. In verse 7, he stops the bragging about his history cold. He says, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” He later says in fact, he counted everything as loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul knew the danger of allowing his past to identify his present. Whether it was considered success or failure, he was no longer owned by his past. Christ had changed Paul forever. Now he focused on the future. He didn’t count a righteousness of his own, but a righteousness that comes from faith in Christ.

We may either yearn for the past or hope to never see it again. Either way, the Bible encourages us to focus on our future in Christ. That future overcomes our past.

I know I sometimes allow past failures to identify me. I need to place more faith in Christ to get past that.

You don’t have to share details, but I’m curious. Do you struggle with yearning for, or being held captive by the past?Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.