Not Looking Back; But Looking Ahead; Moving Forward

But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 NLT)

Repeat after me.  Not Looking Back; But Looking Ahead; Moving Forward.  Again; Not Looking Back; But Looking Ahead; Moving Forward.  Most of us can look back over our lives and be reminded of something we would rather forget and for good.  I am reminded of the times I could’ve been gone; but God kept me.   I was in four totaled car wrecks, but God!

In the mid-70’s I started messing around with fast cars and alcohol.  I remember a beautiful green 1973 Plymouth Duster that later burned up in my brother-in-law’s front yard because I wrapped a fuse in aluminum foil.  That’s what we did with blown fuses back then.  Thank God, I wasn’t in there.  I then purchased a blue 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner.  I wrecked it one night coming from a club after a night of drinking and smoking that katayaw (marijuana).  I fell asleep at the wheel and flipped it upside down.  I got out without a scratch and a state trooper pulled up almost immediately after I got out.  He took me to the hospital and one of the Mother’s of the Church (a nurse) was working.  I know she knew, as did the trooper, but she didn’t chastise me and the trooper didn’t cite me.  I continued that path and bought another 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner (brown), which I eventually traded for a green and white 1974 Plymouth “Cuda.”  That car took me into my military years where alcohol was glamorized; but I didn’t need a boost.  I made it through Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) and four years of Presidential Security with some very close calls.  I sold the “Cuda” at Andrews and bought a couple of economy cars next. 

Then I went to Spain where I had two used economy cars.  The first car was totaled on the way to the beach.  A friend and I left for the beach after clubbing until 3:00 am.  We swapped out driving, as we got sleepy, but that couldn’t last long (about 30 – 45 minutes each).  We awoke with beer bottles and ice hitting us in the head and face as the car flipped several times; we both were uninjured.  The police came and took us to the hospital, and when released, we copped a train and went on to the beach.  My commander there was reassigned shortly afterwards and I bought his car before he left.  About a year later, I went to a truck stop to get something to eat after a night of clubbing.  I lived about two miles down the road, but fell asleep before getting home, and hit a light pole head-on.  Glass shattered in my face and I was cut and bleeding pretty bad.  I grabbed my bag and walked home, which was only a couple hundred feet away.  A friend rang my doorbell in the morning and said he came to check on me because someone saw my car.  He carried me to the hospital and I was stitched up all over the face, and had a torn tendon in my left hand.  I had so many bandages on my face I looked like a mummy.  I was out clubbing the next weekend, bandages and all.  I heal fast, and within a few weeks, you could barely tell I was in an accident.  I found out where they took the car and paid to get it fixed even though they said it was totaled.  It somehow managed to stay with me the rest of the assignment, though it got bruised up a little. 

I was assigned to Avon Park Bombing Range Florida in late 1987 and bought a brand new blue 1987 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z four cylinder turbo on the way there.  I can remember several of us had fast cars and we were always driving fast.  One night we were playing spades and ran out of beer.  While driving to get some more, a friend asked if the car would run.  I drove 125+ mph to the store in the dark and the curves were coming fast.  I remember passing the first store and driving off the road a couple of times, but thank God we made it to the next one and didn’t kill anyone in the process. 

I was assigned to The Netherlands in 1990 and got promoted shortly after getting there.  Me and a friend went to celebrate and guess what, on the way home he asked if it would run.  130+ mph later our exit came up fast and when I turned, the car started spinning around.  I had a choice to hit the bridge or the guardrail.  I chose the guardrail, but I somehow knew we were going to be fine.  I lived a short distance from the wreck and could’ve walked home.  Instead, I called the cops; sort of told them what happened; and was charged with a DUI.  I was sent to alcohol awareness classes where this Christian brother told me I could know if I was a drunk in one of two ways.  He said to go to an AA meeting and a drunk will recognize another drunk; or I could go to a bar and see if I could refrain from drinking.  He said if I went in saying I would have only one or two drinks and stop there or have none at all, I was good.  I went to the club for two ½ years, on and off, without drinking at all.  Neither did I drink at home for those two ½ years, but did start back later. 

I was then assigned to Howard AFB Panama in 1994 and Maxwell AFB in 1998.  Other than the Cuban riots of 1994 and 1995, and preparing both organizations for multiple readiness inspections, Howard and Maxwell were great assignments except the devil began to tug on my marriage.  I was promoted to E-8 and immediately got another assignment to go to Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland.  They had failed an inspection, as had other places I have been, and I seemed to be the fix it guy. Thankfully, I had some good help.

I got assigned to Keflavik NAS unaccompanied in 2000.  After a night of drinking and thinking, I called home and told my family I was going to start back going to church when I returned.  I meant this and followed through when I got home.  The devil got real busy then and my marriage ended up falling apart.  I cried and prayed with the kids, cried and prayed, but my intention was to stay married.  That later proved unsuccessful.  I met Vaughn Park Church’s youth minister, at the time, at a local karate school in 2001.  He invited me to Vaughn Park Church and I’ve been looking ahead, not looking back, and moving forward ever since.   Friends this is just a little bit of what God has brought me through.

There are people who don’t believe in Jesus and think Christians are fools for believing in Him and that He is coming back.  I won’t repeat all the foolishness I’ve seen and heard, but they hate on Jesus, blaspheme Jesus, lie on Jesus, deny Jesus, disrespect Jesus.  All this is said and done with no research and they will share fake news posts on social media without fact checking anything.  I’ve even witnessed them like or love posts of people praying for them when they are going through difficult times; and the folks praying claim to serve the Living God; so go figure.  To them I say this, “Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).  Folks God is paying attention.  I pray that He will yet touch their hearts and minds as He desires that all may be saved.  But know this, Jesus Christ is coming back, and whether we are still here or not, at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

I feel I have a personal Jesus.  He is a friend of mine.  He walks with me and talks with me.  The old song, “What a friend we have in Jesus.  All our sins and griefs to bare.  What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”   Did I mention that I accumulated and repaid $25K – $30K in debt twice.  Or the fact that He blessed me to be able to retire at 60 years old and pay off all my bills, in spite of all the foolish wasting I did. 

My friends, we don’t want to be like the second part of the verse, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer!”  People God is your friend also.  Do you talk to Him?  He wants a relationship.  He wants your love.

We are commanded to bear much fruit.  God called us out of this world and once we responded to that call, we must never try to go back to the world.  However, because of the many pleasures this world could offer – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – we tend to look back and be regretful of our calling.

When this happens, we are preventing ourselves from bearing much fruit. When God calls us to His church, we are expected to give our whole heart. We are called to love God with all our hearts, mind, soul, and strength. Looking back prevents us from doing this.

Worst of all, we might even let go of the plow and go back to our old sinful ways. A man who did not finish the job God has given him will not be fit for God’s kingdom.

If you must look back on parts of your life, don’t focus on something that can draw you back in the bad stuff and take you out; instead focus on what brought you to where you are.  The look to Christ who can take you to your eternal home.  Not Looking Back; But Looking Ahead; Moving Forward.