Joy: Week 4 - Day 4
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, help me understand what it means to forget distracting things that are behind me. Amen
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: 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.”
REFLECT:
Paul indicates that to have joy we need to forget what is behind and move on toward the goal Christ has for us. For me this is hard to do particularly when I feel like what has happened was not my fault. Several years ago, I was in a situation where some board members were upset with my supervisor and wanted to get rid of him. We had an employee (whose father was on the board) under-performing in his job and I put him on a plan of improvement. I had only kept the chairman and vice chairman of the board informed because of the employee’s relative being on the board. The employee resigned, but not quietly. The board members saw an opportunity to get my supervisor and asked for a hearing (I felt like it was an inquisition) but they never let me tell my side of the issue. I walked out of the meeting devastated. Very soon I updated my credentials and took another job out of state.
However, for years I replayed and replayed the incident. I could not feel any joy or peace. I was unable to do as Paul stated, forget what is behind me and move on. It took several years before I could turn the incident over to God and really feel the joy and peace he offers.
APPLY:
When you are involved in a situation which is difficult for you, do not rehash as I did. Follow Paul’s advice, “Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:10-11)
CLOSING PRAYER:
God, help me to remember to focus on the goal for which you have called me. Amen