The beginning of a new year typically brings with it a sense of renewed hope for the future. I am guessing some of you made New Year’s Resolutions back in January, in line with some personal goals you had for 2022. How is that going? By the way, it is never too late to “restart”, if the goal is really worth achieving.
One of the reasons we sometimes don’t achieve those goals that we aspire to, is because we simply layer on additional responsibilities to an already overwhelming schedule. This reminds me of a suggestion our son gave us a few years ago when he was still living at home. Over the years we have collected numerous coffee cups. And we continue to do that. One day David observed what was going on and said, “Each time you add a new coffee cup you have to break one of the existing ones”. What he was really saying was that you can’t add any more coffee cups without getting rid of some, because the cupboard is full!
I think the Apostle Paul has some helpful words for us along those lines as well. In Philippians 3:13-14 he writes,
“Brothers and sisters, 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.”
It is interesting to me that Paul says there is “one thing” he does, when it appears there are two things he describes. He says he (1) forgets what is behind and (2) strains toward what is ahead. For the Apostle Paul it appears these two things are all part of the same action. For him to be able to fulfill his calling and win the prize God has prepared for him he must simultaneously forget the past and focus on the future.
Is it possible that some of what keeps us distracted and unable to move ahead is the past stuff that still has our attention, even as we attempt to move ahead and follow Jesus?
We live in a world that is continually changing. In many ways the world we live in today is significantly different that it was just two years ago. If we attempt to hold on to life, as it was, we will likely get frustrated and unable to fulfill God’s calling today, and in the days ahead. Like Paul, we must “forget what is behind” and “strain toward what is ahead”.
As important as those words are for us individuals, they are just as important for us as churches. One of the questions I have been pondering is how we will do things differently, as churches across EFC-MAYM, after we complete our 150th year, than we did before. What will be required of us if we are to fulfill God’s calling for the future? Future growth and effectiveness will certainly require that we move beyond some past distractions and be open to the new thing God wants to do among us in the future.
In light of this, I have an assignment for you which I would love for you to complete before joining us in Lawrence this summer, as we conclude our Sesquicentennial celebration. That assignment is simply this:
As a church, meet together and prayerfully consider two questions.
- What is one thing we need to lay down?
- What is one thing God is calling us to in the future?
If every one of our churches across EFC-MAYM would identify and focus on their “one thing” imagine the potential impact in the days ahead. But remember, to add “one thing” requires that you forget “one thing” as well. What will your “one thing” be? I will be excited to hear this summer in Lawrence!
Thayne Thompson, Executive Superintendent
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