Yesterday was a wonderful day. It started off with an early morning work-out and visit with a dear friend who’s been devastated by startling revelations in his life. But he’s moving on. I got an upbeat email from a friend who is turning the corner on some life struggles that have devastated her. She, too, seems to be movin’ on. Over lunch, I found myself thinking about an extremely gifted friend of mine who has found a preaching work about which he seems genuinely excited. Good for him! He seems to be movin’ on. My oldest sister, who’s life has been turned upside down in the last two years, called to talk for a while. She, too, is movin’ on and by the appearances is loving being a witness to her world as it turns right-side up. I am simply elated to see that people in my life are movin’ on in so many ways.
Yesterday I also read through the book of Luke. There the “movin’ on” theme continued. I was struck by Jesus at Capernaum. The crowds for whatever reason were captivated by Jesus. They wanted him to stay, but Jesus said that he was movin’ on (Luke 4:42-44). He had a purpose to keep.
I guess the point is, sometimes you just have to move on. Things happen to us in life, both good and bad, that catch us off-guard. When they do, we’ve got to deal with them and then move on. We especially can’t afford to allow the stench of horrible experiences to linger with us. We will suffocate ourselves in the process.
The past is what it is, but we don’t live there. Each breath we take is one in the present. The past is simply no place to dwell (Phil. 3:13-14). Reminiscing about “the old days” aren’t going to bring them back. Longfellow wrote, “Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.”
You may be turning the corner yourself. It may be that you are about to graduate high school or maybe even college, closing one chapter in your life and moving on to another. You might be starting a new job, moving into a new house, or hopefully letting go of a painful past. In whatever way you might be movin’ on, may God bless you as you find it within yourself to do so!
