Don't Look Back

I was sitting in Sunday School and the teacher asked "Mark when you run in your races do you ever look back?" My response was "I try not to". His point was that God doesn't want us to look back at our past sin but that he wants us to look forward and run the long race of our lives. We are to ask God for forgiveness but continue to grow spiritually in his love. We are not perfect and never will be but God wants us to run the race with our head forward and our eyes focused on the goal.

I started thinking about my response, do I ever really look back in a race? The answer is I occasionally do but it is usually to see if anyone is trying to make a move on me right at the finish line. Sometimes I will pick out someone to "chase" but this is difficult because it is hard to find someone running the exact speed to push you yet not wear you out. Otherwise, whether it is correct or not, I view each race as one against myself. Trying to push my body and overcome the pain whether it is breathing and gasping for air in a short race or fighting off the muscle pain in your legs in a long run. In a race, I am running to see what I can do. How fast can I go and still make it. It is a fine line because you have to juggle the distance with your speed so you don't end up walking the last few miles. When you are running against yourself it does no good to look back.