We all have a past. Everyone has done something they are not proud of. For me, I have done the work to get over the mistakes I made, but getting past opportunities I missed has been a more difficult process. If you are like me, you are probably not where you thought you would be. Twenty years ago, had you told me I would be a divorcee with two children, a member of the working class and working a 9-5 job, I would not have believed you. But, here I am. From the outside looking in, you might think that I am pretty accomplished and that I should be satisfied with the state of my current situation. I get it. My marriage dissolved amicably and on good terms; some people can’t say that. My kids are in good health; some people can’t say that. And, at least I have a job; some people can’t say that. Still, I used to struggle with regret.
2016 has been the turn -around year for me. This is the year I learned to truly be okay with the state of my life. I used to think about all of the risks I should have taken, or all of the advice I should not have listened to, or all of the many people I distanced myself from, and start to feel the blank void of emotion that triggers a depressive state. But not anymore. I have found peace in the promise of restoration. You see, anytime we lose something, God provides a way for us to get it back with interest. It’s a bit of a paradox, but God cannot not restore something you already have. This should bring you hope. God doesn’t want us to remain broken. He doesn’t want us to carry baggage. He wants us to be free.
The Apostle Paul is a great example of the restoration power of God. Before he was Paul; he was Saul. Saul participated in a number of things that Paul could have been ashamed of. He was a persecutor of Christians. He even participated in the execution of Christians. The event that changed Saul’s perspective is the very thing that changed who he was a person, thus the changing of his name. He had an encounter on the Damascus road. After this change, he was able to confidently pen Philippians 3. This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Here Paul describes his restoration process. He begins with his past as a Pharisee to his future hope “to win Christ”. He ends with his present state of pressing from the first to the latter. You see, the bridge on the road to restoration is linked by our past and our future. The bridge is paved one step at a time as we slowly learn how to forget and move forward. It’s a process. Consider the foundation scripture for the I Press on Movement. It is found in this very same chapter and expresses the sentiment which this blog post is meant to promote. “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13-14)
I had my Damascus road experience this year. This epiphany has helped to shape who I am today. I have counted up the costs of my current state. I know what I’ve lost, what I’ve given up and what I am in pursuit of. I know what I am pressing toward. Therefore, I know exactly what is due to me on the other side. God promises to give beauty for ashes. I don’t know about you but I’ve accumulated a great deal of ashes, so I know the beauty has to equate to that which has been consumed. I am encouraging you to allow yourself space to have a moment of your own. Drop the baggage of regret before you enter into the New Year. Remember that if you lost it, you can get it back. Make room for restoration by reaching for your future, and as always, let’s press on together!