In the very near future something new and challenging is about to take place in my life, and because of this I find myself looking often toward the horizon. At the start of 2010, together with a local church in Salinas, Ca we are going to do what we can to help rescue young men from a life of violence and drug addiction in that region by opening a Christian Men’s Discipleship Center, (a recovery home for adult men).
Lately I have been perusing craigslist trying to gather what I can to furnish and prepare our building for at least 10 men to start. As I have been doing this I have also logged more than enough hours on facebook just staying close to the computer so that I may be first for any new posts to craigslist. There is something special that fb offers to its subscribers that I believe wasn't it's original intention, it gives us a unique opportunity to connect with old friends and to relive old memories. I have found that one can get lost looking back, times seem to have been much easier then, life much more carefree and the consequences of our crazy actions so far away in the future that you took on the attitude that chances were you weren't going to have to face them, so it seemed safe to "Eat, drink and be merry". Most of us have learned that the future held much more than we anticipated and life today is a dim projection of the past.
So with all this ahead of me and all that there is behind I am reminded of something I read recently:
Remembering the past can remind us of God's leading, discipline, faithfulness and grace. But it should not cause us to walk backwards into the future. A thoughtful glance back can prepare us to more confidently look and move forward.
Jesus stated, "No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62
