A New Year’s Resolution (part 1 of 2)

I do not say that I have already won the race or have already reached perfection. But I am pressing on, striving to lay hold of the prize for which also Christ has laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not imagine that I have yet laid hold of it. But this one thing I do - forgetting everything which is past and stretching forward to what lies in front of me, with my eyes fixed on the goal I push on to secure the prize of God’s heavenward call in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 Tom Peters, the famous business author, calls it “sticking to the knitting”. Knowing your core mission/vision, and focusing all your efforts on it – without getting distracted. There are two parts to this: not dwelling on the past, and reaching ahead to achieve the mission and vision of the future. The past can bog us down in two distinctively different ways. Some of us feel ashamed by failures in our personal lives or in business, and our minds are haunted by those memories. Every decision we make is colored by our grief or the fear that we’ll make the same mistakes again. Others of us, though, live in past glories. We’ve enjoyed stunning successes, but instead of using our gains as a foundation for future growth, we keep reliving those memories. It has been said, “The day our memories become larger than our dreams is the day our soul begins to shrink.” Living in the past, whether failed of successful, takes our lives out of focus. In the passage above Paul says, “Forget the past (good or bad) and move on.” But in which direction should we move? We should reach forward to fulfill the mission and vision God has for us. Paul encourages us to uncover and embrace a God-sized cause, one that has a positive impact on people and expands his Kingdom (this will leave a lasting legacy). At its most basic, this is loving God by loving others. We can show other our love for God by how well we love others (e.g., sacrificially helping them). This can be done at work, in our neighborhoods, and at home, as well as at church. What are some past failures or successes you need to leave behind? Is there a God-sized cause that has gripped your heart? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com