But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal (Philippians 3:13).
The teenage girl was learning to drive. While backing out of a grocery store parking lot, it happened. She scratched another car. Compounding the shock of having an accident in her first month of driving was her father's insistence that she help him find the car's owner. Would you believe it belonged to one of her teachers? After the situation was explained, apologies given and addresses exchanged, the girl vowed she would never drive again.
BOTH teacher and father disagreed and marched her outside, put her in the driver's seat and told her to drive home. That moment of getting back into the car and continuing her driving practice was the point of victory. She had to forget the failure and go on if she ever expected to learn to drive. That girl loves to drive now, but the story might have been quite different.
We all fail, and some of us fail more dramatically than others. We can become so defeated and discouraged that we waste precious time kicking ourselves and grumbling about our mistakes.
The enemy delights in defeating us. Imprisoned by our self-reproach, we become non-productive. Victory comes in forgetting failure and pressing forward. Failure is meant not to bind but to teach. Let us let go of our errors and reach out for His enablement.
J. THOMPSON
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