“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” (Matthew 12:25 ESV)
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:13 NLT)
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NIV)
Our current political scene has painted a picture that there is a divide between going back and moving forward. I am living in a country that is divided right down the middle in many areas. On the conservative side of the fence dwell many who are convinced the progressive other side of the fence dwellers are trying to destroy the America they dearly love. Many living on the progressive side of the fence think that those conservatives on the other side are trying to drag this country back into the dark ages. Both sides seem to think that there is only one direction that will get us where we need to be. I’m here to tell you, there are many areas in which they could go hand in hand.
Many want to focus exclusively on what they believe is “moving forward” to better days ahead. No looking back! Others are convinced that the only way to find a better day is to go back to where we used to be. Stop the current downward spiral! There seems to be some truth and error on both sides.
You can’t go forward if you never go back. If you go back and you’re not moving forward you’re going to get stuck. The best thing is to take a step back. Learn from the past. See what the foundations are. Then you can move forward to build a house on a solid foundation. Things do change, so when moving forward you can’t let the past hinder improvement. Sometimes we even need to stop and firm up the foundation.
If we forget the past, we’re going to repeat the failures. If we only go forward, we’re going to be on shaky ground. You can’t go back and stay, but you can’t move forward without going back.
So today, take a step back, learn something, and then keep stepping forward to build upon it. Sometimes you’ve got to take a step back in order to move forward.
Be reminded by…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 332: Step Back To Go Forward