Be a Goldfish

Let go of the past. Grace moves us forward.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.”
(Philippians 3:13–14)

The college national championship was played the other day. Congratulations to the champion—well, I don’t know who that is yet, because I’m writing this before the game was played.

Unless the Indiana Hoosiers win it all, the champion will finish the season with a number greater than zero in the loss column. That means that at some point this season, they failed to achieve their desired outcome. Yet those teams did not allow a single loss—or for some, multiple losses—to deter them from their ultimate goal.

Much like the proverbial goldfish (said to have a memory of about ten seconds), each of those teams learned from the disappointment of losing and then moved forward. They didn’t dwell on the setback; they refocused and continued their journey.

“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.”
(Proverbs 24:16)

Our Christian walk is similar. We may stumble along the way, but as long as we learn from our mistakes and don’t allow a momentary failure to consume our thoughts, we can continue to grow in our faith.

“For we all stumble in many ways.”
(James 3:2)

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:6)

I’m not suggesting that we intentionally make mistakes with the expectation of being absolved. Rather, I’m reminding us that our God is a God full of grace, and He loves us unconditionally.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
(Psalm 103:8)

“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”
(Romans 5:20)

You cannot earn your way into heaven. Your entry is not based on performance, but on faith—faith in and acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9)

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
(Romans 10:9)

Much like the commitment made by a national championship team, our commitment to stay focused on Jesus and grounded in the Word of God allows us to move past momentary slip-ups and get back on track, pressing forward in faith.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
(Hebrews 12:1–2)

Have a GREAT week and congratulations to the Champs!
Adapted from Lead with Faith, Play with Purpose by Andy Dooley