Don't Look BackSample

When Jesus invites us into a relationship with him, it is an invitation to follow him.1 When we accept his invitation, we don’t know where we are going, how long it will take us, or what we will encounter along the way—but what we do know is that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Furthermore, to follow Jesus, we have to go where he is leading, and as much as we might want, we can’t spend all our time looking back to where we once were, while simultaneously trying to look forward to where he is taking us.

But life is full of unexpected twists and turns, of detours and slowdowns, of surprising stops that divert our focus. In our day to day lives, I think we’d all agree that it’s shocking how we can be moving forward, full steam ahead, and suddenly life throw something our way that changes everything, whether it affects everyone in the world or just us. If we’ve not prepared ourselves for how to move through those times, and get our vision looking ahead once more, we can get stuck looking back. We can get stuck in places we never intended to find ourselves—spiritually, emotionally, mentally, relationally, financially, or physically. To be honest, we can get stuck just about anywhere in life, can’t we?

When we like where we are.
When we are scared about the future.
When we may not want to let go of what we love.
When we are wronged.
When we are hurt.
When we are disappointed.
When we are numb from the trauma we’ve endured.
When we are betrayed.
When we are weary.
When we are overwhelmed.
When we are discouraged.
When we are distracted.
When we are wounded.
When we are hopeless.

Sometimes, when we stop and think about what we have experienced, how can we not get stuck in disappointment, unforgiveness, bitterness, offense, fear, guilt, anxiety, insecurity, indifference, apathy, comfort, or complacency? And yet, to move forward, we have to find a way to move through these same exact places and more. We have to move through loss, grief, trials, hardship, suffering, disillusionment, mistakes, and sheer heartache to keep going.

Still, I imagine we all find it easier to stay stuck than risk moving forward and what might come with it, like stepping out into unfamiliar terrain and feeling even more uncomfortable. Like experiencing more hurt, more disappointment, more suffering, or more betrayal. It’s little wonder the writer of Hebrews said that we must focus our eyes on Jesus. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Successfully navigating the twists and turns of life while fixing our eyes on Jesus requires a spiritual strategy with four steps:

• We need to first learn how to stop looking back and start looking to Jesus.
• We need to invite Jesus in to help us get unstuck from those places where we never meant to be.
• We need to start moving forward in a way that ensures we’re successfully pursuing all the plans, purpose and promises God has for our lives.
• What’s more, we need to learn how to do all this repeatedly in every area of our lives all throughout our lives, because new challenges will present themselves. Jesus said they would, but he also told us how to move through what life would throw our way.

As we journey together through this devotional, I pray you will discover how to stop looking back and start looking to Jesus; how to move on from where you are to where God wants you to be; how to look forward to the future God has for you; and how to keep moving toward it.

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Adapted from "Don't Look Back: Getting Unstuck and Moving Forward with Passion and Purpose" by Christine Caine. Copyright 2023 by Christine Caine. Reprinted with permission of Thomas Nelson Publishing. All rights reserved.