Moving Forward

The Reading: ...but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 3:13-14

The Whispering: I took this picture five years ago, standing in a cold field in Indiana at dusk. At the time, I was facing some hefty decisions about my own life, my call, and where God was leading me.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, reminds us that we must always resist the human inclination to look longingly backwards and to cultivate a spirit of adventure that leads us forward. Lent accomplishes this by leading us into a liminal place of repentance. Lent invites us into a time where we consider, and then excise the sins and guilt that bind us. Ultimately, we must face this truth: that God will forgive all our sins when we "do earnestly repent." Lent pulls us into that place where we are made ready for absolution and, ultimately, for the triumph we will celebrate when we accept God's forgiveness. Every Lent is followed by an Easter morning. What do you need to leave behind?  What hurts? What guilts? What impediments must be cast off in order to discover the joy that is in Christ? Look forward. God forgives us our sins and leads us into Easter -- always.