Forward Thinking

We do not live in the past. We live right here. In this very moment. What's done is done and over and gone. Why wrestle with it again? Like driving on a road, we are always moving forward, with glances to that which we left behind. Sometimes the glances are to good things, sometimes to unpleasant things.

There are some things I easily let go of and don't even let weigh me down. And while I can let those drift away with the breeze, everything does not fly away so easily for me. There are certain things that keep jumping back in my mind that I know are a struggle for me. We all have those things.

I've come to a conclusion (and this isn't anything other than what I knew all along, but I am writing about it now and realizing the positive benefit of it) that I need to have a more forward thinking mentality along with my here-in-the-moment attitude.

I do not believe there is anything wrong with remembering the past, such as recalling a good time or fond memory, for that is where our roots are. For instance, I never regret remembering my Dad and thinking back to any times we had together. While it can make me incredibly sad at times, those are past memories branching out of love.

But if I am reaching back into the past out of any bitterness or anger, my recollections will haunt. I'd rather not feel ghosts of the past creeping in. It leaves behind all sorts of dreadful thoughts.

Perhaps there is a reason for the past, and even a reason for a certain loss. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we are to follow at whatever cost. Sometimes it is at the cost of something extremely dear. But we should remember that no matter what is lost, we are gaining so much more in our relationship with Christ, which is beyond all measure.