BACK TO THE FUTURE
It’s 10:45pm at the time of this writing. Sunday evening. December 13, 2009.  And as I was washing the dishes, the reality hit me - that 2009 will be over in a matter of days.  This is by far, the fastest year ever.  I can remember ringing in 2009 like it was yesterday.  And as I began to think about my life over this past year… my mind arrived at a movie I used to love to watch often: Back To The Future.

ARE YOU MARTY MCFLY?

Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, was just an average guy with dreams. But he was destined to be like his old man of a father who spent his life living a mediocre and fearful life.  No matter what Marty did, he never seemed to get ahead, until one day his wacky Scientist friend invites him to meet in the middle of the night. That night changes everything, because he takes a trip back through time in a Delorean…. back to when his parents would meet.  And while there in the past, Marty changes some things and learns some things and when he comes back to the future - everything has changed.  Even now the theme song plays in my mind… Are you like Marty McFly?  Maybe it’s not the failings of your father, but some failing from your past that seems to be that irrepressible obstacle - standing between you and the future that awaits.

CONFRONTING YOUR PAST

Back to the future…   Many of us are prisoners of our past: past failings, past tragedies, past rejections, past ridiculing, past sins, past fears, past opportunities that we have let slip through our fingers.  Some of our past issues aren’t even things we did, but things we inherited from those who came before us.  Marty sure was a victim of his past, but his life didn’t change for the better until he confronted his past; until he dealt with his issues and his family issues that kept him from pressing forward.

Marty had to reflect on days gone by… he had to learn from them.  And we are called to do the same: if we are to have a bright future before us, then we must take the time to reflect on and learn from the past that is behind us.  We must be willing to ask the tough questions and look at our successes and failures.  Realize that the objective is not for us to be entangled in our past, but rather to gain freedom from those issues and systems of thought that have held us captive in our minds.  It’s that captivity that often keeps us from pressing forward and overcoming the obstacles we face.

ASSESSING THE PRESENT


2010 will be here before we know it and I find myself looking over this last year… What have I learned about who I am and how I relate to others?  Where have I stumbled and fallen?  Where have I been victorious?
What still needs to be learned?  Where was my focus?  What distracted me?

PLOTTING THE FUTURE
We may not have a flying Delorean, filled with plutonium, and a flux capacitor, which can take us to change our past if we hit 88 miles per hour… but Back To The Future does help us see, that if we want to change our future, then we have to deal with our past.  In fact, Marty had to have a mediocre present, that he was not happy with, in order to get him to begin dreaming about his future!  Many people don’t even dream about their future and how they can make a difference in the lives of others.

Our future already exists; and our choices affect where we will end up.  So let us start reflecting on the past year and truly assessing where we are in relation to it.  Then we can begin to plot our course and make the changes necessary to take us to where we desire to be.  Pretty ingenious that movie.  So as 2009 comes to an end and we prepare to welcome in 2010, let us take time to look at who we have been, who we are and who we are becoming.

We may not be able to literally travel into the past or the future, but God has given us a way - through our thoughts, memories, imagination and His Word - to deal with our past and to secure our future.

Tagged with: • • •

Filed under:

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!