From time to time, I like to look back over the many photographs I have taken on my life journey. In this digital realm, it’s pretty easy to scroll back over the years and remember special events, places, and people the Lord has brought across our path. I sometimes drag out the old photo albums and peruse the pics…often finding the photographs cracked and the glue or tape holding them in place has lost its stickiness. It’s usually a mess…but it is a wonderfully nostalgic mess.

But there are times that looking back can slow you down and keep you from moving toward the goal God has for you. That is sometimes due to mistakes we have made in our personal lives or ministry work. There is a temptation to revisit those mistakes or failures and never move on. My advice…don’t keep looking back!

Should we learn from our mistakes? Absolutely. Should we stay back there mentally, going over the mistake again and again? Absolutely NOT!

Ben Case, a well-known fundraiser, talks about this in his e-book 21 Tips for Highly Successful Fundraisers. Although he is writing about the work of development for a nonprofit, there is great application for all of us in leadership roles. Here are some of his points:

1. Identify the mistake. Take time to realistically assess what went wrong. I often seek out a trusted third party to help me think this through and identify the true, core issue.

2. Own up to your own role. Consider whether there was something you could have done differently along the way. Did you miss important signs? Honest reflection is essential here.

3. Pinpoint the lesson. What can you take away from this experience that you can apply to future situations to yield different/better outcomes?

4. Turn the page. Armed with the knowledge of how to do things better, resolve to apply what you have learned, leave the past behind, and look to today and tomorrow. Setbacks, mistakes, and difficult situations happen to everyone. How we deal with them reveals much about who we are.

That fourth point is so important. God’s Word has great instruction for us in matters like this. The Apostle Paul could have easily lived in the past, lamenting again and again over his terrorist-type persecution of the Christ-followers of his day. But he was clear about pressing on.

…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Jesus spoke in a different context, but His words have application here, too. He told some would-be followers:

“Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62 NLT

Jesus was saying not to let the things of this world…even the good things…distract us from following Him and being part of His plan to reach the world. Paul was saying our main focus needs to be the high calling of God for our life. The past is past. Press on.

If I were to compact this to PowerPoint bullet points, I would put it this way.

  • Look back to learn, then…
  • Press on to God’s plan and prosper.

God’s best,