September 2023
Steve Russo

How many headliners from the recent past do you remember? For example:

1. Who are the five wealthiest people in the world?
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Who were the last five winners of the Miss America crown?
4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
5. Who won the World Series each year for the last decade?

Very few of us remember the headliners of yesterday. There are no second-rate achievers on the list I just mentioned. They’re the best in their fields. But the fame fades and the applause soon dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be successful and wanting to be the best in your field. But you can’t live in the past. God wants us to think and live forward. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul writes: “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.”

There can also be another part to our past that’s not so pleasant. We have all done things that we are ashamed and wish somehow we could change what we did. Sometimes we may even be prisoners to the past trying to imagine how different our life might have been.

When our hope is in Jesus we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God wants us to become. Instead of dwelling on the past – whether it was positive or negative – concentrate on growing in your relationship with God right now and becoming the person he designed you to be. Recognize that you are forgiven or thank God for what he allowed you to accomplish in the past – then decide to move on. Look forward to a life of meaning and purpose because your hope is in Jesus.