“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18

The Event was a blast from the past! Yet it was all new! Holding remembrances of years gone by, it crackled with an even greater intensity than ever before. It was The Friday Night Football Game at Venice High School! And if you’d have been there, you would know WHY all those letters are capitalized! The excitement was fueled by reputation, hope, expectation and a ‘New Announcer!’

It was the Pre-Game, and the announcer had the crowd FIRED UP! Music was blaring, lights were flashing and the crowd was cheering as the Venice Indians were about to take the field! I was remembering what it was like when my sons played football and my daughters were cheerleaders on that very field. Now… My granddaughter was on the field as a Cheerleader. Then I saw it!

I really don’t know how I missed it as my first instinct. Maybe the past had taken over my mind, holding it captive. My oldest son was an ‘Indian’ Football Player, cutting the path for his siblings on that field. His brother was a starter on the first ‘State Champ’ team, while both sisters stood on the sidelines as VHS Cheerleaders. Remembering, my eyes must have drifted upward… then I saw God!

Look at the picture for yourself! While everyone was dressed in attire to reflect their team spirit, God’s Spirit invaded and out-shined everything else with a display all His own. Go ahead… use your hand to cover up the sky to see only the football field. It isn’t NEARLY as good… is it? There’s no doubt about it. Looking up and forward makes the past and present even better!

Today’s verse is the Old Testament version of an even more precise instruction in the New Testament:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. Philippians 3:13-15

The new announcer was on fire, as we all found our ‘game spirit’ lifted by his encouraging remarks. Someone said He was the State Champ Coach for Girls Volleyball. Knowing who he was, I knew him ALSO to be a Believer! I thought, “VHS needs to sign him to a Football Announcing Contract before one of the TV Networks grabs him!” Then God reminded me. HIS job… is MY Job… for Jesus!

Too often I find myself looking back in the past, trying to remember the ‘good old days.’ Worse, I find myself dragged into the desperate conditions of the present when a news story comes across my radio to announce another horrible story. It takes determined words of encouragement from The Holy Spirit to remind me to LOOK UP AND FORWARD! Only THEN do I find real winning Joy!

Are YOU stuck in the past or depressed by the present? Then read The Word and put your eyes on Jesus! Let HIS work and will for your life remind you to be CHEER-FULL for the life that is ahead! And yes… just like you and Jesus… Venice WON!