It’s not 1985 anymore!!

Ever since I was a kid, one of my favorite movies has been Back to the Future. The movie is basically about an accident that leaves Marty McFly trapped in 1955, trying to find a way to get back to the future in 1985. The problem is Marty keeps doing things that change the past, and so he has to fix those things so he doesn’t mess up the future. I’ve always loved the idea of a time machine, and I am absolutely still holding out for a hoverboard.

But seriously, who hasn’t wanted to go back into the past and change things or maybe even just relive some glory days? I have dreamed about the ability so I could fix things, to which my wife always reminds me that if I could go back, there would just be other things that I would want to fix. Obviously, she is way smarter than me because I would totally screw up the space-time continuum, and that would just cause a mess. But seriously, her point has always reminded me that whether you look at the past with tears of joy or just tears, we all have a past of good and bad. 

In Philippians Chapter 3, we see God using the apostle Paul to give us an example of a past that has achievements and pain and how we are to handle it and also, most importantly, how to move forward. 

So let’s take a look at verses 5-7: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. 

Okay, so we see Paul had some big achievements that would have taken a lot of time, money, and a large amounts of effort that he could have been very proud of. For most of us, these would have been certificates framed on a wall with all of our accolades. We then see him mention these high achievements with something that feels very out of place: the persecution of the church. Now, many of us would have stopped before that part or even given a pause and a brief explanation out of shame. Let’s be honest, it’s always easier to share the high points of our past and hide the parts that feel not worthy or dirty. But as I mentioned earlier, we all have a past that has good and bad. See, among other reasons for mentioning these things, Paul knew that whatever his past was, God had redeemed him. You and I who know Christ have this same assurance for our past, no matter what is there. So if we are redeemed, how do we move forward to move beyond our past?

Well, let’s look at verses 13 and 14, which says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

There we have it, when our focus is on Jesus everything else dwindles in comparison. So I ask you, how are you looking at your past? Have you given that past to Jesus and are you trusting Him with your future eternity? Remember, we all have a past, and God will use everything as only He can, good and bad. We may not be able to go back to 1985, 1955, or even 2015, but our story, the whole thing, is for God to showcase His grace and His love. So, allow God to use your story, the good and the bad, however He chooses. Then, remember to keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus and not on you or your circumstances and certainly not on your past.