 | When you hear "just forget it" what thoughts come to mind? Did you remember when you were trying to tell someone something and you had to repeat yourself several times because they were not really listening? Or maybe it was when you were working so hard on putting something together and it just wasn't turning out like you expected? What about the time when you asked someone for a favor and they started moaning and complaining? Did you shout, "Just forget it!" in your frustration like many of us? |
We've used that little three word phrase to associate with so many negative experiences. What if we turned it around and made it positive? What if the next time you heard that phrase it actually made you smile?
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Philippians 3:13 NKJV
To paraphrase, the Apostle Paul says "just forget it"! Sometimes it's so easy to remember all the mistakes, trials and even comforts of your past. And if you can't seem to remember I'm sure someone close will quickly remind you. Forgetting the past does not mean you get amnesia. It simply means you don't let your past be a stumbling block to reaching the bright future ahead. Some things from the past you do want to remember because they encourage you today. Some lessons from the past are worth remembering so you won't repeat them in the future.
Sometimes a former pastor's or minister's wife can become stuck in her past role. Her life became so entangled with the ministry that she does not know how to unravel the chords and move on. I was recently told of a former pastor's wife whose husband of 40 years divorced her for another woman. That was over 15 years ago yet she still considers herself a pastor's wife. My heart goes out to her because while it sounds extreme, some women become disillusioned not knowing what their lives might be like outside of their life as a First Lady. They simply cannot see the joy that awaits if they walk into their new destiny as God takes them from glory to glory.
When you can imagine the wonderful life ahead for you, who has time to waste time lingering on the regrets or tragedies of the past? Even if you cannot imagine it for yourself right now, connect with someone who can imagine it for you until you can. It is nearly impossible to make much progress moving forward if you are focused on looking back. It is also dangerous. So when those negative thoughts and emotional ties of your past rise up to try to make you a slave to them, "just forget it" and keep moving ahead to the victory of not just pursuing but actually living your dream. Now that's something worth remembering!
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Philippians 3:13 NKJV
To paraphrase, the Apostle Paul says "just forget it"! Sometimes it's so easy to remember all the mistakes, trials and even comforts of your past. And if you can't seem to remember I'm sure someone close will quickly remind you. Forgetting the past does not mean you get amnesia. It simply means you don't let your past be a stumbling block to reaching the bright future ahead. Some things from the past you do want to remember because they encourage you today. Some lessons from the past are worth remembering so you won't repeat them in the future.
Sometimes a former pastor's or minister's wife can become stuck in her past role. Her life became so entangled with the ministry that she does not know how to unravel the chords and move on. I was recently told of a former pastor's wife whose husband of 40 years divorced her for another woman. That was over 15 years ago yet she still considers herself a pastor's wife. My heart goes out to her because while it sounds extreme, some women become disillusioned not knowing what their lives might be like outside of their life as a First Lady. They simply cannot see the joy that awaits if they walk into their new destiny as God takes them from glory to glory.
When you can imagine the wonderful life ahead for you, who has time to waste time lingering on the regrets or tragedies of the past? Even if you cannot imagine it for yourself right now, connect with someone who can imagine it for you until you can. It is nearly impossible to make much progress moving forward if you are focused on looking back. It is also dangerous. So when those negative thoughts and emotional ties of your past rise up to try to make you a slave to them, "just forget it" and keep moving ahead to the victory of not just pursuing but actually living your dream. Now that's something worth remembering!
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