Seeing Or Remembering?
July 27, 2006
“Forgetting those things which are behind . . . I press toward the goal.” — Philippians 3:13-14
I recently read a story about a man, slowly losing his memory, who was seeking medical intervention. After examining him, his doctor advised him that brain surgery might reverse his condition and restore his memory. However, the procedure would be so delicate that a nerve might be inadvertently be severed, causing total blindness. Quite a side effect!
“What would you rather have,” asked the surgeon, “your sight or your memory?” The man, faced with a tough decision, pondered the question for a few moments and then replied, “My sight, because I would rather see where I am going than remember where I have been.”
This is the choice every Christian must make, if they are to grow in Christ - see ahead or remember what is past. In Philippians 3, St. Paul made the same choice spiritually. His past, with its success and its shame, he chose to forget. What mattered to him most was keeping his eyes on the goal of gaining Christ’s approval. Thanks be to God that He does not remember our past - but erases it from His memory, if we are faithful to confess our sins before Him. That being said, He has a wonderful future for any that will follow Him as Lord.
The kind of mindset the man modeled for us in our story is a sure mark of Christian maturity. To continue to grow spiritually, we have to be willing to look for what new things God is working to develop in our lives (Philippians 3:13-15). And, if Jesus is truly Lord of our lives we can always look forward to what He is leading us toward, knowing that He’s in charge–and will make give us what is best from His bounty.
What will we choose? To see or to remember?
By Grace,
Chip+
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