FORGET FORGE FOCUS

(This is a 5-minute read)

As I look back on my life,

I realize that every time

I thought I was being rejected for something good,

I was actually being re-directed to something better.

Anonymous

We tend to think that it is hard for people to let go of the recognition, fame, and success that they have worked hard to achieve in their lives but for those who have experienced severe trials or extended hardships, it can be equally hard to let go of the victim mentality and the trauma associated with such experiences.

Scripture tells us that the Apostle Paul was a man with a checkered past. The Bible first introduced him to readers in the book of Acts 9:1 when he was still called Saul, a man who was breathing out murderous threats against all followers of Jesus Christ. But we soon saw that God intercepted his heinous mission and singled him out to reach both the Gentiles and the Jews (v15). That radically change his life course but it would also involve his suffering for Christ (v16).

In fact, no one suffered as much as Paul did. The Bible recorded five rounds of flogging with 39 lashes each, thrice attacked with rods, thrice in a shipwreck as a prisoner (not a passenger!) and drifting in the open sea. Add to the list, the times he was attacked and mistreated by fellow Jews, foes and fake believers, and when he was severely deprived of basic needs like food, water and sleep (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Surviving any one of these ordeals itself would have been a feat! But Paul survived them all, yet he was not about to rest on his laurels, lick his sorry wounds or polish his hard-earned trophies.

Rather, he asserted that he had not yet ‘arrived’, “Not that I have already obtained all this (he was referring to his knowledge of God*), or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12 *paraphrased)

To be sure, anyone who has suffered even a fraction of what Paul did would find it unconscionable to continue to follow Jesus. Today, our unspoken mantra is often personal safety and well-being first. If following Jesus does not come with benefits and safety (we call them blessings), is it worth it?

Here’s Paul’s response, “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)

If this man, who had lived such a colourful and controversial life, had erected memorials to preserve the memory of his past trials, tests and triumphs, they would certainly fill a large gallery. Instead, he was determined that we all only needed to do ‘one thing’ and that ‘one thing’ involved three incredible actions:

1. Forget the Past

We should all take lessons from our past to achieve maturity in our character and thinking, in our commitment to God and in Christlikeness. We surely need to look back to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness for what’s ahead but that’s not the same as leaning on the past. To be sure, Paul had his fair share of ministry success: he was a powerful orator who moved crowds and turned unbelievers into followers (Acts 14:1-3), he had an effective healing ministry with miracles, and his writings were bold, compelling and incisive.

But Paul knew that God’s prize for him laid ahead of him and not in his past trials, tests or trophies. In his own words, “… everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him.” (Philippians 3:8-9a NLT)

 2. Forge Forward

Look at the word ‘forget’. Remove the letter ‘t’ and you get the word ‘forge’. Simply put, we are able to forge forward only when we let go of ‘T’s in the past – trials, tests and triumphs! We make progress, step by step – slowly, arduously, purposively – only when we let go of any self-glorification from hardships we had endured or from accomplishments we had achieved. We may still have battle scars from before but like a runner in a race, we pivot our entire mind, resolve and body - with all the pains and signs of hard training - towards the finishing line and the goal ahead of us. Athletes in any competition don’t slow down to look at the cheerleaders or the adoring fans in the gallery; they train their mental focus and line of sight on the challenges that unfold before them.

Martin Luther King Jr once said: If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.

3. Focus on God

The letters ‘c’, ‘u’ and ‘s’ in the word ‘focus’ mean three things: ‘c’ reminds us to fix our eyes on Christ Jesus; ‘u’ represents having an undivided attention; and ‘s’ is for staying on course to reach the intended destination.

The past two years have brought unparalleled challenges to many of us and changed our lives. Everything seemed more difficult during a pandemic - whether it is a job change, sickness, death, or a natural life transition. The exigencies of day-to-day living can become our be-all-end-all and prevent us from living out God’s greater mission in our lives. Constant busyness not only leaves us depleted each day but also distracts us from living out our God-given life mission.

As Kingdom citizens and children of God, we need to stay on course, going further and longer than we are comfortable so that God is revealed in our lives.

Before the year comes to a close, let’s continue to believe that God is still in the business of completing what He wants to do in our lives. He has not pressed the ‘pause’ button because of the widespread disruptions brought on by COVID-19. More than ever, where there seems to be no way, God is paving a new way through this pandemic for His children. His love that sustained you throughout the trials you experienced in the past two years will continue to lead you into a future He promised in His Word. God has been and will continue to be your all sufficiency.

Here’re some questions for reflection:

What is helping you to train yourself to strain towards what’s ahead? 

What is always pulling you back and dividing your attention?

This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR session held on 04 DEC 2021.