Press On

Well, 2020 is officially in the rearview mirror.  I know there are those who are ready to put all of their troubles behind them and move forward with a better 2021.  But can we truly expect life to get better with a simple turning of the calendar page?  Is it really that simple?

            I have my doubts.  The Covid-19 virus is still with us, and in fact we are being told that hospitalizations are still going up. In Atlanta they have recently converted a portion of the World Congress Center into a makeshift hospital to assist with overcrowding.

            So how do we move forward? How do we go on with life? Do we stop living altogether? Or do we plow forward as if nothing is wrong?

            Paul wrote a passage to the Philippians that speaks to our situation. In fact, preachers have been using this text at the beginning of the year for decades and longer.  Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

            Paul speaks of three actions here. He says to forget what lies behind. That does not mean that we neglect history, but that we do not rest on our laurels.  Then he says strain forward to what lies ahead, the picture of a runner leaning forward as she sprints to the finish line.

            Finally, we are to press on toward the goal.  This pictures for us a long-distance race more than a sprint.  We are to keep going when it is hard, when there is pain, and when giving up seems to be the easier route. 

            We have persevered through 2020.  Let’s put it behind us now, and let us move forward in the way that the Lord is calling us. He has a prize for us.  It is worth every effort we can give.  Keep going.  The journey is hard. But the destination is enough.

            Happy New Year!