So, the ask, seek & knock we’ve been talking about lately? Well, I’ve been actively searching for a literary agent.
I took deliberate steps of knocking on many “doors” and managed to get a manuscript proposal in front of an agent which is hard to do. And then made a rookie mistake.
I messaged.
You don’t message a literary agent and ask them if they got your proposal. You don’t ask how it’s going. You don’t ask when you’ll hear from them. You.Just.Don’t. I berated myself for being so untrusting of God’s timing and making a fool of myself.
And then the Holy Spirit whispered…no one can steal God’s plans for your life.
How was I going to deal with this? My Bible reading that next day gave me the answer.
Philippians 3:13-14 says “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
forget about it
When you’ve stumbled, you get back up by letting go.
We’ve all experienced moments of failure. A conversation we’re embarrassed about, a decision we desperately wish we could undo. Maybe it’s even a longing for the glory days.
Your heart whispers you’re such a failure.
The Lord is asking you to let it all go. Set every defeat and victory aside, don’t let your past inhibit your future.
Isaiah 43:18-19 also reminds us to forget the former things. Why is this important to God? Because the past in all of it’s defeat or glory keeps us stuck. Yesterday’s mistakes or accolades won’t leave room for what the Lord wants to do in our lives today.
God still has more for us.
eyes focused ahead
When you’ve stumbled, you get back up by pressing forward.
The power of missed opportunity? No longer a stumbling block but merely a lesson when your focus is forward.
Paul uses the word straining. It personifies maximum effort just like an Olympic runner exerts reaching towards the finish line. It definitely isn’t passive.
We can’t run our race and look backwards at the same time! We would trip and fall, we would slow ourselves down. The loss of focus on the prize would carry us off course.
Forward seems scary because of all the unknows. But God specializes in safely guiding his people through impossible circumstances. Be gentle with yourself. Remember the ultimate goal of a believer’s life is to be more like Christ.
Release the past into the Lord’s hands and look forward to what is coming next.
keep running your race
When you’ve stumbled, you get back up by trusting God with your future.
Put your feet back in motion and start running your race again.
Sometimes the situation we’ve stumbled through changes the trajectory of our lives. Sin and selfishness always have impact so the future may look different than what we had envisioned. Don’t lose heart. The Lord has not lost his grip on your life, he’s got you!
Practice by releasing one regret to the Lord rather than replaying it over and over in your mind. Take that step of obedience even when you had a disaster the last time.
The ultimate prize awaits! The grace of God is holding us and leading us. His sanctifying work promises that any stumbling block is only an avenue to refine of our faith and test our perseverance. Push through and keep moving forward.
There is grace for every failure. There is purpose for everything in the past and hope for all that lies ahead.
Onward,
Rhonda