Pressing on

This morning, God impressed on me this verse:

Philippians 3:12-16

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 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, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

When I am wronged, one "sorry" is all it takes, and I'm good.

If something doesn't go according to plan, I look for an alternative and make something out of what's available.

If I have done everything in my power to make adjustments, and the "thing" just won't click—I let go. I can't control everything.

I don't know when it happened, but I honestly think that this verse is one of the reasons why I am the person I am today. I can move on pretty quickly. Somewhere along the way, God engraved this into my heart and I learned to keep moving forward.

Not tooting my own horn, but I like to think of myself as mature, as one of the qualities of a mature person is moving on quickly.

Not because they are afraid to confront challenges or negative things that have happened, but because life keeps moving forward. And if we do not move along with it, we let the past hold us where we are, and we will be left behind. 

But we do not just move forward and forget everything we passed along the way—we take what is useful, keep it with us, and use it as we face new obstacles in life. We hold true to what we have already attained, like what the Apostle Paul said.

In other versions, it says there that we continue to live by the standard that has been set. And we grow as we progress. 

The world often says, "Stay. Grieve. Be bitter. Hold a grudge." But I think that is its way of holding us back from all that God has prepared for us in advance, to prevent us from reaching the destiny He has set beforehand.

That is not to say we should not feel our emotions—because we should—in all of their colors. Emotions are good. God gave us emotions.

But if we take the darkest colors and paint them all around us, what do you think we would see?

Right—darkness.

Wallowing in the mud does nothing good, especially for Christians. The righteous fall seven times, but get up eight.

Think with me: the people who are stuck in the past are the ones who do not grow, always have something or someone to blame, and are in this endless cycle of pain and regret.

But when they start letting go of the past and move on, that's when they find joy, freedom, and growth. And if they are moving toward what God has in store for their life, they start living the best life they could ever live. 

Like Paul, I do not claim to be perfect or to have reached a certain standard that people should look up to me for. In fact, I am so far away from his example it's almost like I'm on a different planet.

But like him, as well—I press on.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize of which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Some days I sprint, some days I run easy. The thing is—life is indeed a marathon—an ultra-marathon at that.

But as long as we keep one foot in front of the other, we'll get there. All by His grace.

If you're reading this:

Know that there is so much God wants us to do. 

We need to work hard, and work fast, for our time on this earth is limited. 

Go with the strength God gives and finish the race set before you.

Kilos mabilis, ika nga.