Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead… – Philippians 3: 13

Like each one of us, when he turned around, Apostle Paul recognized that he had a great deal behind him. He had an aristocratic lineage. He had a first class education. He had a life of adherence to a strict Pharisaic moral code. He had years of persecuting the church. He had shipwrecks, lashings, perils and so much more. Yet, here, he published his decision to forget those things which were behind. Needless to say, this is difficult to do. However, if it is something that we are able to do, it may become one of the best things we ever did. That is because . . .

1). They are behind. They are over and done. They cannot be redone. They cannot be done over. They are behind. The Greek word Paul uses here (epilanthanomai) does not simply mean forget in the sense of failing to remember. It means to neglect in the sense of failing to feed and nourish. Things behind tend to stay behind if we starve them of our attention, anger and energy.

2). They are baggage. The weight of today is more than enough to carry. Those things which are behind constitute baggage which we choose to drag along with us into our future. This baggage weighs us down and keeps us down. Cutting the ties to this baggage releases us to a more stress free life.

3). There are better things ahead. Essentially, Paul is choosing, on the one hand, to let go of the bad in his past and, on the other hand, move beyond the good in the past. He is convinced that what lies ahead of him is far better than anything that had been behind him. It is, therefore, much easier to forget what is behind when you have a clear vision and hope of better things ahead.