I am
told that sharks must always be moving forward to survive. If they stop for any
length of time, they will die. In some ways this is true of us as well. Life is
all about moving forward. When we stop, we die. I know people who were old when
they were 40, and people who are still young at 80. The difference is that one
has stopped moving forward, while the other continues to strive toward the
future.
Throughout
this past summer, I trained for and looked forward to running the Mankato
half-marathon. It was a goal to strive for; motivation to get out and run.
Finally, on Sunday the long awaited event happened. I joined with about 3,500
others, in the crisp morning air, to put our bodies and minds to the test. It
was a glorious day for a long distance run. I started the race strong,
struggled near the end, and pushed toward the finish. When I crossed the finish
line, I felt a sense of accomplishment and joy.
On
Monday, with the race behind me, my focus had already shifted. Talking with my
parents on Monday night, our conversation centered on our family gathering over
Thanksgiving. I reported how the race had gone, but it was no longer the focal
point. We were already looking to the future; moving forward.
Life
is a series of anticipated events. We spend far more time preparing for,
looking forward to an event, then the actual event itself. If we are wise, when
the event comes, we enter fully into the moment and experience the joy of the
moment. But no matter how exciting an event is, it never truly satisfies us.
The joy we feel is temporary. Almost before the event is over, we are looking
forward to the next big event.
C.S.
Lewis wrote about this feeling in Surprised by Joy. He talks about how
real, lasting joy is always just out of our grasp. We get tantalizing tastes of
joy along the way, but if we try to grab a hold of them, they evaporate. His
conclusion was that our desire for joy leads us on to the only lasting source
of joy, Christ. We spend our lives striving for that goal, which we will fully
experience one day, in the presence of Christ. We were not created to live
forever in this fallen world; we were not created to be satisfied with this
fallen world. We were created to live forever, in relationship with God, in His
perfect world. All of our lives we are drawn toward our heavenly home by this
unsatisfied longing for pure joy.
Paul
expressed a similar thought in Philippians 3. In verses 7-11, Paul expresses
his overwhelming desire to know Christ fully; to be united with Christ
completely. Then he clarifies the journey that he was on.
Not
that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I
press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers,
I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward
the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ
Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
Paul
was not satisfied with past accomplishments. He was unwilling to mark time and
coast to the end of his life. Instead, he continued to press forward. He knew
that he had not attained his goal. He had tasted the goodness and joy of
Christ. His longing had been energized. He refused to be satisfied with
anything less than the fullness of Christ.
As
followers of Christ, we can never be satisfied by past experiences; no matter
how exciting or fulfilling. Those who live in the past, who stop moving
forward, die a slow death. We were created to always be moving forward toward
our fulfillment in Christ. No matter what we think we have accomplished, we
have not yet reached the ultimate goal. The Apostle John expresses it well.
Dear
friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made
known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is
pure. 1 John 3:2-3
Keep
moving forward!
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