Look Forward

"Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions"- Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NIV).

We tend to look back and sigh at days gone by: the good old days. According to Scripture, we aren't supposed to look back. Paul said, "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead" (Philippians 3:13). Our Lord and Savior also taught, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Every athlete, who runs a race, knows the perils of looking back during the race; you can lose your balance, fall and be disqualified. There are so many memories in our past, but each had a hand in creating who we are today: more mature disciples of Christ. With Scripture telling us not to look back, why would we want to be like Lot's wife? She was told not to look back and we know the outcome of her disobedience; she was certainly disqualified from her race. We must look forward in our race, keep our balance, and yearn for the new adventures God has designed for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11).