A New Game

Philippians 3:13-14 – Of course, my brothers, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above. (GNB)

I am a basketball mom. My son (age 11) and my daughter (age 12) both play basketball. I faithfully attend all their practices, games, and tournaments. I can clearly remember one game that happened during a tournament. My daughter's team was playing. The score was 27-0 for the opponents at halftime.

The coach talked with the girls during the five-minute break. He asked them to play the second half as if it was a new game. The girls followed his advice, and the result was a turnaround for the girls. They held the other team to three points, and scored six points themselves. The girls believed it was a new game and thus played as if it they were going to win.

What had the coach taught his players? He taught them to forget what was behind and to press ahead to reach their goal, victory in the tournament. This story reminds me of the apostle Paul who also chose to forget the past and press ahead to reach the goal. If Paul had not been able to leave the past behind he would not have moved on toward the goal. Let us live our lives faithfully pressing on toward the goal because we have been given a second chance.

Prayer: Loving God, may we ever press on to reach the goal you have set for us. May we leave the shadows of our past behind and embrace the future. Amen.

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