This is one of my favorite scriptures in the entire Bible.  It alone if followed carefully will catapult us into a glorious future.  Looking back to past mistakes, failures, or pains bring paralysis.  The second we think upon them we freeze.  You cannot go forward with your head turned 180 degrees backward.  First of all, our heads were placed upon our bodies by God to have the ability to see just enough behind us to protect us from attack.  If you will turn your head right now you will find that God has given you the ability to see what is right beside you but not what is directly behind you.  I think he knew what he was doing when he created us don’t you?

 

We were designed to move forward!  We weren’t designed to move fast in reverse.  I do not think a car can go as fast backwards than it can in drive.  Even if it could one could not maintain the direction for as long because his head could not turn all the way around.

 

The danger of looking back was never  made as clear as it was when the angel told Lot and his family to not look back when he delivered them out of Sodom.  The entire family looked straight ahead, but Lot’s wife turned and looked back and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt.  Would you say that she was frozen?  She certainly was my friend, and there was no un thawing her!

 

How many days have you and I wasted because of looking back in our lives?  How many days have we wallowed in heartache and sorrow because we refused to let go of the former pains?  My mother would come to me after a girl friend had broken up with me and tell me to forget about her and go talk to another girl.  I pouted even harder because that wasn’t what I wanted to hear!  I almost became angry with her because I wanted to think upon my former relationship.  All it ever brought me was despair and remorse.  When I finally did look forward to meet other girls my pain was lifted just in the search and not in the finding.

 

You see, when we wake up and go about our day with a positive attitude filled with the hope or expectation of having a better experience, just the anticipation alone is enough to promote and release joy in our hearts.  The fact that we are looking ahead and not behind brings relief from the former pains ( not to mention a sore neck from always looking back).  We move faster when we look forward!  We can live a life of self control better when we are moving forward.  Like a car, we can manage and steer our lives easier when we are moving forward.

 

Yes, the reverse in our car is necessary because we sometimes miss our turns.  Backing up is needed but only to adjust the route.  We need to contemplate where we got off or where we made a wrong turn, but we are not to obsess over them.  Once the adjustment has been made, put your car back in drive and get going forward again.  And if you have wasted alot of time in yesteryear, you might want to step on it!