Phillipians 13: 13

… but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.

So, my past few devotions focused on God’s love and with good reason. When things get tough, we often feel as if we are alone. But it’s not true. God loves us. So, I hope you enjoyed the LOVE devotions. I did! In fact, I enjoyed them so much I was tempted to continue writing more of them, but then the above verse popped into my head. I decided it was time to move on.

At 58, there’s one thing I’ve learned in life and that is life is always changing. Sometimes the changes are good; sometimes not so good; and sometime downright bad. Good changes are fairly easy to accept. It’s the not so good and bad changes where we get stuck.

I’d always though of this verse about  forgetting the bad things that’s happened to us in the past and moving forward into the future. Today, another way of looking at it popped into my head. I’ve been battling a myriad of health issues for more than a year now with more to come. Sometimes, I catch myself thinking if I could just feel as good as I did a year ago. If life could be the way it was a year ago.

IF…IF…IF…

There really isn’t a point to thinking that way. The past is gone. The person I was a year ago is gone. Unless God intervenes I will never be that person again.   Getting stuck in the past won’t change my present  one little bit.

I am who I am now and I need to find a way to be peaceful and joyful in spite of my new circumstances!

Not an easy thing to do by any means, but a necessary one.

I’m doing a few things to keep moving forward in life.

PRAY!  Pray a lot. Talk to God about what’s going on in your life. Tell him about your frustrations, your sadness, and your anger if you have any.  Of course, pray for God’s intervention, but also keep telling him and showing him that you trust him during the bad times as well as the good times.

FIND WAYS TO SERVE OTHERS! No matter what your specific circumstance are, rise above them and think of others. Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was to love God and the second was to love others.. Follow that commandment and you will reap the rewards. Each time you show love to someone else, you will share a moment of joy.

SMILE!  Smile even when you don’t feel like it, especially when you don’ t feel like it. I believe smiling is contagious–not just to other people but to yourself.  The more you fake a smile, the more real the smile becomes and the better you feel.  The reverse is true as well–the more you complain, the worse you feel.  Make a choice

Life is a lot like driving a car. It’s necessary to look into the rearview mirror from time to time, but it’s really important to keep your eyes on what’s ahead of you as well. No matter what your circumstances are, life’s not over yet so don’t get stuck in the past. Keep moving forward.