In Philippians 3:13, 14 the apostle Paul writes . . .

        . . . one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I     press on toward the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

” . . . forgetting what lies behind . . . ”  Should we?  Is Paul’s testimony a model for us?  Does the Lord want us to disregard our personal history and only “strain toward what lies ahead”?

He certainly didn’t want the Hebrews to forget their rescue from Egyptian slavery.  Every year they were to remember by celebrating Passover (Leviticus 23:5; Deuteronomy 16:1).  The Lord didn’t want them to forget how he enabled them to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land (Joshua 4:1-5).  They were to erect memorial stones at the spot.  And Jesus certainly doesn’t want us to forget his death and its covenant significance (1 Corinthians 11:23-27).  We are to regularly eat and drink the Lord’s Supper.

What “behind” is Paul forgetting then?  Probably his past righteous “credentials”–circumcision as an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, a zealous Pharisee who’d persecuted the church for its blasphemy, and  blamelessness in keeping God’s law–“credentials” he thought merited him right-standing with the holy God (Philippians 3:4-6).  But then Christ Jesus “took hold” of him and he “counted as loss” all those credentials “for the sake of knowing Christ” by faith (Philippians 3:7,8).  Perhaps, too, Paul is forgetting anything that might hold him back from “straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13,14).

So we should recall past precious blessings.  At this stage of my life I remember praying as a child to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, being baptized in water before the congregation of Bethany Church in Paterson, N.J., falling in love with the beautiful girl who would become my bride, sensing the Lord calling me into pastoral ministry, driving off to Springfield, Mo. for Bible college, being a young father of three growing children, going off on family vacations and celebrating holidays, pastoring two churches in New Jersey and one in Florida, baptizing each of my three children in water and performing their weddings, welcoming with great joy each of my eight grandchildren, walking with my wife on the beach at Hilton Head Island–the memories are many and more than I can mention here.

But there is “behind” stuff to forget–foolish choices, temptations surrendered to, wasted hours, regrets that I didn’t do some things differently or better, sins that shamed my Lord and pained my life.  Yet there’s value in occasionally recalling even these things, because they remind me of how God graciously works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

But we should disregard any “behind” stuff that holds us back from pressing on toward the goal of Christ.  We could call that living in the past.  Sitting here I recall those good old days when I was young and healthy and our children were under our roof and the full-of-promise future stretched before us.  There’s a fine line between thankfully counting precious past blessings and being distracted by them from straining toward what lies ahead with Christ.  The lead runner in a race must remember who and where his opponents are behind him, while always pressing on with the goal in sight.

Thank you, Jesus, for a life of past blessings behind me, that I remember with tears of joy.  And thank you, Jesus, that you are my goal waiting just ahead.  To be with you will be better–by far.  Trusting your promise and relying on your grace, please keep me going hard after you.