I left my hometown in 1979. I was 19 years old and had no idea what my life would become. Of course, I had hopes and dreams, but like most young men, I couldn’t quite call my dreams plans.
There was one thing I knew, though: I likely would never move back to Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, and that incited a mix of emotions. I was partly excited about new adventures, and partly sad, because I loved my hometown. I had made the best memories there.
I pulled out of our family’s driveway as my parents waved, tears filling their eyes. I kept my emotions together until I approached the border of our small town. Once I no longer knew anyone nearby, I pulled to the side of the road and cried. It was difficult to realize this phase of my life was now in my past, forever.
As life progresses, we all have to let go of what has past to move into what is next. Some experiences we can’t wait to leave behind! Others are hard to let go of. Either way, to pursue the life we desire, we’ve got to press on toward the new God is calling us toward.
The Apostle Paul recognized this. He wrote about it in Philippians 3:14 when he said: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me…”
Leaving our past behind is the first step in what Paul calls “winning the prize” — walking into a greater future. But what do we do next? If you read Philippians 3:7-17, you’ll find Paul describes a few choices we’ll have to make along our journey.
Philippians 3:7 tells us we’ve got to choose God’s will over our will. Paul writes from experience when he says, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
In verses 8-9, he tells us we’ve got to choose God’s ways over our ways. Verse 9 says, “…that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ . . .”
We’ve also got to choose God’s strength over our strength. Paul says in verse 10: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…”
Then, we must choose God’s control over our control. As Paul says throughout the entire passage, we’ve got to let Himlead, not trying to direct our own way.
When we choose these things well, we’ll one day be able to exclaim confidently like Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there in store for me the crown of righteousness…”
Friends, whatever your past looks like, your future can be greater. As Proverbs 4:18 says, the path of the righteous only gets brighter!
