Fear looks back; faith looks forward

“Remember Lot’s wife,” Jesus reminds us in Luke 17:32. A wife and mother who was urged to leave the city before it was destroyed. A wife and mother who lingered far too long. A wife and mother who was taken by the hand by an angel and brought to safety outside the city. A wife and mother who experienced a moment of regret, a moment of heartbreak, and turned to glance behind her. A wife and mother who turned into a pillar of salt.

“Remember Lot’s wife.”

Do we linger? Do we look back? Do we have heartbreaking issues behind us we can’t break free from, or don’t want to live without?

As the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, he wasn’t perfect. None of us are. Paul didn’t have it all figured out. Most of us don’t either. But he kept going. And he did one thing in particular. “I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me. My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLV.

“My eyes are on the crown.” How can we keep our eyes on the crown? How can we keep looking forward?

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Israelites had a huge pillar in front of them 24/7. A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This pillar went before them on their walk to the Promised Land. We may not have a literal pillar in front of us to keep us looking forward, or an angel pulling us by the hand when we linger, but we do have the Word of God readily available on our phones and tablets. The internet provides us with endless uplifting music, words, and communities that will help us on our journey.

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
-Proverbs 4:25-27

In an inspiring class my sister gave a few years ago, she explained that just as a racehorse wears blinders to remain focused, we, too, need blinders. Blinders that keep us looking forward. Blinders that help us put one foot in front of the other and keep us moving in the right direction. Blinders that prevent us from running wild. Blinders that stop us from getting sidetracked or sucked in by the hundreds of other things competing for our attention.

My sister also shared with us the importance of visualizing our end game, of keeping a mental image of our finish line. Picture Jesus running alongside us, or Jesus standing at the end line cheering us on as we race. Jesus never lost sight of where he was headed. He kept his eyes on that finish line and kept running. It’s important to not lose sight of where we’re headed. With our eyes focused on Jesus, we won’t have time to look around or behind us.

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG.

In the New King James Version, the writer of Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every weight” on our race. So toss aside all those heavy burdens and all those toxic regrets. Cast aside anything that causes us to linger or glance back. Cast every one of them aside. Let’s ease our load and keep our eyes focused on Jesus. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30.

“Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.”
- Mary Engelbreit

---

Download the Fearless in 30 Challenge. Everyday, for the next 30 days, do something that scares you. Record your thoughts, actions, and results in your journal, and at the end of the Challenge review how far you’ve come.