Why Would Jesus Say Look Forward, not Backwards?

When you get on board BART, a Cal-Train, or even Amtrak, which seats do you choose?  Do you like the seats that face front, the direction the train is going? Or do you like to look back and see where you have been? My brother loves to ride the train, and he especially enjoys going to the last car. He stands on the platform, looking back as the train streams away from where we were. What do we see when we look back?  What do we gain? Well, first of all, the view is very clear—easy to see, and there is no hidden danger just around the corner up ahead, out of sight. We see our hopes and our work, and our dreams from when we were younger.

We all look back for many reasons. The two most common come with specific emotions. 

1. Should’ a, would’ a, could’ a. Regret for what wasn’t done, and wondering why we didn’t do it at the time.

2. Wasn’t it wonderful? The best! Things were so much better back then. “Remember when we used to…?” 

Regret and Nostalgia. Neither of these is bad in itself. It is nice to remember good times; remember family and friends, activities, and actions that left a mark on your life. And, it is always good to reflect on something we did –review and evaluate. What went well? What should we throw away and what should we keep for next time? NEXT TIME. There is the magic phrase. You see, if we only look back, if we are stuck in the past, where we have been, what we’ve done, then there is no future. No next time!

If we only look back, we will see good times, but often we fixate on the disappointments—both when we let people down and when others disappointed us. Our head is filled with “How could they?  If only I had… I wish I…”  the whole time we are missing what is in front of us, a golden opportunity, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how scary, no matter that we question if we are up to the task. 

In the case of today’s scriptures, looking backward means missing a life with Jesus. It means getting caught up in things you think you need to do, and then, when you have time, you will follow Jesus. It means not taking our life in Christ seriously. Jesus called the first Disciples, and they dropped everything, literally—their nets, boat, family, and took off, walking after Jesus; listening, learning, hoping to be like him in as many ways as possible. In this week’s scripture, others want to follow Jesus—they want to be a part of the party, but they have unfinished business, they have a very tight schedule, and can’t fit Jesus in. They will when they have the opportunity. 

Have you ever felt like that? I don’t just mean—"Oh, I am so busy, I just can’t make it to church today.” I am talking about not having—or taking—time to follow through with the actions Jesus requests of us: helping others, getting involved to make a difference in people’s lives, taking time to meditate and pray outside of the church service, and many more. For the disciples, it was much more serious—it meant looking and walking forward to face challenges, pain, political disagreements, deprivation, even death. It meant doing as Jesus did, putting your whole self on the line. Once they started, they couldn’t look back, or they wouldn’t go forward. They could look up to the risen Lord, up to God for support and guidance. Charlotte Bronte said, “I try to avoid looking forward or backward and try to keep looking upward.” 

To be a disciple, a follower of Jesus, we must look forward, not backward. And we will always look upward in faith, knowing that never is all lost, we have a support, a higher power lifting us over the rough spots.

Lord, grant us all the desire and ability to look forward and follow. AMEN

-Barbara Murray