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This one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize.
Philippians 3:13, 14
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Frank Sinatra in the 1950s. “Regrets, I’ve had a few…”
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There are many kinds of races, I suppose, but they all have one thing in common. The starting gun fires, you run and keep on running, and finally—hopefully—you cross the finish line.
During the race, of course, it does no good to dwell on perceived shortcomings, or past failures. You’re in the moment, and the moment is all that counts. You run with everything you’ve got. And as you near the finish line, as every runner knows, you never look behind you. That can shave a millisecond or two off your time and cause you to miss the prize. Your focus must be forward-facing, singular, fierce even. You want to win gold, don’t you?
Speaking for myself, not only do I sometimes dwell unhealthily on what lies behind, I can “beat myself up” about it, too. Unlike the Frank Sinatra song My Way, where Ol’ Blue Eyes sings, “Regrets, I've had a few, but then again too few to mention…”
What is it they say in New York, New York? Forget about it!
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After all, even God has had a regret or two. In Genesis 6:6, before the Flood, we read that God “regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” The Biblical account goes on to say he would have wiped ALL humanity out if Noah had not found grace in his eyes. Whew! We came close, didn’t we? Or how about 1 Samuel 15:11, where the Almighty had this to say about Israel’s commander-in-chief: “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”
Seems perfectly natural to me that we, as human beings, should also have regrets. But we’re not to live in the past! We’re told to forget what lies behind. I might add we should also forgive what lies behind, and that includes forgiving ourselves.
I speak from experience...
I left Harvard after a year.
I never started my water-bottling business on family land in Zephyrhills.
I didn’t go to France as a college exchange student.
I didn't make that movie in Mexico.
I didn’t go to Hollywood early on in my career.
And so on and so forth.
BUT…
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Runners, take your marks...
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God called me to himself, and in October 1981, I said, “Here am I, Lord. I leak water from a hundred holes, but if you will have me, here am I. I give myself to you unreservedly.”
“That’s good, Cris,” comes the voice from above. “Now, get running.”
I was 29 years old when I jumped from the starting blocks. At first, I thought the Christian life would be a sprint. Now, I know better. It’s a long-distance run.
Which leads me to this: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1, 2). A course has been marked out for us and we must keep on running (or walking, or even crawling, as the case may be).
Run your race in the here and now! Forgive others (including yourself) and don’t look over your shoulder! As Satchell Paige said, “It might be gaining on you.” Let us finish the race in order that we might say with the Apostle Paul:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Su servidor,
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Have you watched Let Me Have My Son yet?
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Let us know what you think of the film at letmehavemyson.com. And please rate us on IMDb
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Another of our films you may enjoy watching is Final Solution, filmed in South Africa.
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And if you’re looking for a good read, check out my books, including They Were Christians, Let Me Have My Son, and Undaunted. eBooks and Audiobooks available!
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Finally, you might also wish to make a tax-deductible donation to Messenger Films to assist us in our mission of creating films of beauty and stories of hope for spiritual seekers.
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