Looking Straight Ahead

 

"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, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Often times we allow our past to hang around our necks like an anchor that keeps a ship stuck in one spot. We look at the things we have done and the associated shame or guilt constricts our minds, which in turn torments our thoughts of being worthy of being used for good. It is way too easy to allow our thoughts to be the water that douses our opportunities to serve if we allow our minds to weigh down our potential. When the negativity of this world wants to drag you down, look straight ahead to what is possible with God on your side. 

Setting goals in life is critically important to making progress. A runner looks toward the next mile marker, but ultimately has her sights set on the finish line. When a batter swings at a pitch, the goal is to make contact with the ball in such a way as to get a base hit, but when he swings, he is setting his sight on the centerfield fence that signifies a homerun. If we are to follow the advice of the Apostle Paul then we can't allow the strikeouts of life to keep us from getting back up to bat again and again. Legendary home run king Hank Aaron hit a record setting 755 home runs during his career. That record stood as a milestone for aspiring major leaguers for decades. But, do you ever hear mention of the fact that Hammering Hank had a whooping 1,383 strikeouts during that same career? What if old number 44 had spent his time worrying about those strikeouts? The sum total of all of his strikeouts almost doubles his homerun total. What would that ratio do to us if we experienced two failures for every one potential success in our daily lives? You can't look sideways, you can't back up, you can't look down, and you most definitely can't turn around and walk back to where you were yesterday. The goals we set are to move us forward and to reach new heights, distances, or markers in life. 

Have you ever heard someone say, I have set a goal for next year to make the same mistakes I made this year and if possible I'm gonna try to make a few more than I did this year? Sounds ludicrous, but if we are guilty of sitting around concentrating on the mistakes we made in the past, then doesn't it sound reasonable to believe we are putting our focus on what is behind us instead of what is lying in wait on us in our future? Press on is the directive that Paul conveys to each of us. Forget what is behind you that was yesterday, we are living today and setting our sights on how we can improve today to make tomorrow a better place to live for our family, friends, and posterity. Looking ahead not behind, I set my sights on what is my pathway as I move forward.

We started today's FTM with a statement that everyone needs to be setting goals. Goals are for our good and for the good of others. There is a goal that is worth setting and worth striving towards that is greater than any other goal we could ever set. Turn your attention to what lies in front of you and leave what is behind you right there, behind you! May you spend your time focusing on how you are going to hit the next ball over the fence, and relegating to allow the past be exactly that past tense. 

Coach Carter