Leaving the Past in the Past

There are things we carry for so long we forget we could set them down. Old scenes, words spoken, choices made, the 'what if I had...' that tightens the chest. Paul wrote about 'forgetting' what lies behind — not in the sense of erasing it from memory, but of no longer living with your eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. You can't move forward with your body turned backward. Reliving the past over and over doesn't change what happened; it only keeps you from living what still could happen. There's no harm in glancing back now and then; the problem is living there. God has things 'before you,' and you won't see them as long as you're only looking at what has already passed. Today, gently, begin saying goodbye to what is behind you. It wasn't pointless, it wasn't in vain — but it's the past. And your future needs you facing forward.