In the 1984 film Footloose, John Lithgow plays reverend Shaw Moore. After Moore’s son dies in a car accident coming home from a night of dancing, reverend Shaw responds by banning all music in his small rural Utah town. Kevin Bacon, plays Ren, a high school senior who goes to a town hall meeting in an attempt to reverse this ban for a Senior Prom. Following a rejection, Ren’s boss comes up with an alternative which is presented to Shaw Moore. During his next Sunday message, the reverend is confronted with a dilemma. Do I hold on to the past of trust God with the future?
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ, Philippians 3:7.
Thirty years later, this question still applies. Within each individual life, there are defining moments, trials which force people to mature. How these events are handled, shape the outcome of lives. Whether its death, illness or injury, bad things will occur sooner or later. As Rich Mullins once sang prior to a car accident that ended his own life, there is bound to come some trouble to our lives. When tragedy strikes, will you hold on to the past or trust God for the future?
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me, Philippians 3:12.
When life takes an unexpected turn, its hard to get over it or fully recovery. Almost four years after I lost my teaching position, I’m close to picking up all the pieces, but not where I would like to be. Scars from the past are still present, resulting in soul spirit hurts that are not fully healed. However, as the apostle Paul once said in a letter to the church at Philippi, you must learn to leave your past by keeping your eyes on the overall goal, heaven. Therefore, the next time you reach a crossroad in life, let go of the past by trusting God with your future.
by Jay Mankus
