A New Thing

My planner has a quote at the top of each month. 

As we head into the final two weeks of April, I realized I never even took a moment to read the quote. That is what kind of month it has been. Moving from one day to the next focusing on the tasks at hand.

I finally noticed the quote this morning as I began to buzz through my day.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”-Soren kierkergaard

Kierkergaard was a Danish philosopher, poet, and theologian. If you ever took a psychology class you would remember him for his thoughts on existentialism. The topic that explored the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life, despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence.

I thought about that for a moment. Without faith how could you make sense of it all? How could you deal with the incomprehensibility of existence without knowing God? How could you live a life with no other purpose than to merely “exist” for the sake of existing?

After my thoughts wandered, I looked at the quote again. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” In more modern words “hindsight is 20/20!”

If you have ever muttered the words “I wish I knew then what I know now” you understand Kierkergaards point. We understand things in hindsight….but we live life walking by faith.

Life is lived moving forwards, in the uncertainty and the confusion of the world around us. We wake up each day and take those first steps into life not knowing what the day, week, month will bring.

We live "Walking by faith, not by sight" as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7; understanding things only as we glance at them over our shoulder. As Christians we know that there are some things that we will not understand this side of heaven, but we still live our lives moving forward. Life calls us to that. God calls us to that.

Life must be lived moving forwards. So true. While we learn from past mistakes and situations, we cannot “live” in them. We cannot “dwell” on the past. We must move forward in order to truly live.

Are you stuck today? Thinking about a past event, previous words spoken or circumstances you wish you could have changed? Remember this quote from Kierkergaard and then also remember these words from Isaiah 43:18-19

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland."

Keep moving forward. Keep trusting. Keep living.

Gods got you.

 

-Pastor Patti