Forward Progress

It doesn't make sense to do things backward.

When you drive your car on an interstate highway, you don't put it in reverse gear. You don't wear a heavy coat in the summer or go barefoot outside in the winter cold. When you read a novel, you don't start at the back of the book. When a baseball player gets a hit, he doesn't run to third base. When a student takes a test, he doesn't write down his answer before he reads the question. It's fun to eat dessert first, but most of us start with the salad and end with the ice cream instead of the other way around.

So why do so many people try to do things backward when it comes to matters of faith? They reason, "Someday when I'm old, I'll think about my relationship with God. While I'm young I just want to have a good time." But that's backward. The Bible says, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Others say, "I can't be a Christian after all the bad stuff I've done. I have too many problems and I wouldn't fit in the church." But that's backward. If you've done "bad stuff," then you meet one of the qualifications for church membership. All of us are sinners. The church is a collection of imperfect people who serve a perfect Lord. It's not a fraternity of the flawless; it's the fellowship of the forgiven.

Still others say, "This is my opinion no matter what," and if the Bible disagrees they stick with their own ideas. But that's backward. The right approach is to go to the Bible first and let the Scriptures shape our opinions, instead of the other way around.

Christians ought to be pro-active, not reactive. Jesus said we should take up our cross and follow him—and "following" implies forward steps. We can't follow unless our eyes are looking ahead.

This principle is true in the church, where every bit of forward progress should be celebrated. And it's true in the home. Parents should be some of the most forward-looking people of all, for the Bible says our children are like "arrows in the hands of a warrior" (Psalm 127:4). Arrows have to be aimed and released—launched forward, not backward.

In football there's a rule about forward progress. When a runner carries the ball into a pile of tacklers, they push him backward where he lands a yard or two behind where he originally advanced the ball. Fortunately, though, the referees award the runner whatever yardage he gained with his forward progress.

Every inch of ground matters in football, and it matters even more in your home. As a parent, do you sometimes feel like you're carrying the ball but you keep running into a solid line of tacklers? Are you growing weary from the demands of caring for your preschoolers? Are the ups and downs of dealing with adolescents wearing you out? Are you trying to be a good parent to your grown children, but they keep making decisions that break your heart?

Let me offer a word of encouragement to every struggling parent. The God of grace is pulling for you. He sees your family's forward progress. When you're knocked down, he's reaching out his hand to pick you up. Keep doing your best, and rest assured that for all the difficulties of parenthood, it remains one of the most important tasks in the world. The Lord wants to keep you moving forward—even if you only gain a few inches at a time.