And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you...
Deuteronomy 7:21
“If God is your co-pilot, you need to switch seats” Church billboard
A decade of memories and milestones,
challenges and changes. As I packed and taped up, I couldn’t help but think
back over all that had happened in the last ten plus years: our youngest
child’s wedding, five new grand-children, and three passing of both my parents
and an aunt that had been like a second mother, as well as new friends and some
great opportunities for service and spiritual growth.
But with remembrance comes regret and those
memories are never far behind either: my parent’s last chapter of life, full of
acrimony and confusion, as my attempts to get them to a safe place were at
cross-purposes with their difficulty in understanding why time couldn’t stand
still, missed opportunities and second guessing in a difficult church
situation, the graceless stumbles on the steep learning curve associated with
the role of mother-in-law. Oh, I can go on and on…
But while painfully true, these admissions
aren’t the fruit of a humble spirit, but a self-centered one. Focusing on our
own performance as the leading character in our life story will always lead to
disappointment. Why should it come as a surprise to any card-carrying member of
a fallen humanity that we will make poor choices, operate from a limited or
flawed perspective, say and do hurtful things?
The right focus is not us with our wins and losses, good days and bad. The correct
focus is on God, and God-centered is always hopeful. When we get up every
morning and choose to concentrate on what He is doing in our lives, to anticipate
His victory, even in the midst of our defeat, we can find peace in any situation.
In seeking His wisdom through prayer and the Word rather than leaning on our
own understanding of a situation, (Proverbs 3:5,6) we will experience His
mercies to us as refreshing surprises.
We
cannot change the past or stop the clock, but in God and because of Christ, our
best days are ahead.
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.
Signed, Paul (formerly self-righteous Pharisee, persecutor of the
church)
Nancy Shirah
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