Don’t Look Back

Looking back could possibly be one of the worst things you can do.  Take it from Lot’s wife, after all she did turn into a pillar of salt.  Yet she isn’t the only who was memorialized in a not so good way for looking back.  As a matter of fact, the man I want to tell you about today  was turned into a statue of bronze because he looked back.

It was the race of the century known to many as the Miracle Mile.  Over 100 million people listened to this race over the radio and millions more watched it on television to see two men know for running the fastest mile compete against each other.  As with any race there could only be one winner and that winner turned out to be Roger Bannister. 

Yet it wasn’t the fact that Bannister won that made this race go down in the history books, it was the fact that John Landy, lost.  You see on the final turn of the last lap, Landy made the critical mistake of turning around and looking over his left shoulder as Bannister quickly passed him on the right.  This was a mistake that would haunt Landy for years to become because a larger-than-life bronze sculpture was made, depicting the men at the very moment Landy looked back.  Landy is later quoted as saying, “While Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back, I am probably the only one ever turned into bronze for looking back.”

This story is an important reminder for us to never look back.  That critical mistake cost Landy the race and if you are making that same mistake it very well could be costing you your race as well.  I don’t know your goals, and I don’t know what specific race you are currently running but I do know that looking back will definitely cause you to lose some races you were destined to win.

You see, when you look back you take your focus off of your goal which inevitably causes you to lose ground. If you are caught up looking back at all the times you tried before and it didn’t work out for you, you’re losing ground.  If you’re looking back focusing on yesterday’s successes failing to realize that yesterday’s successes aren’t designed to meet today’s challenges, your losing ground. Similarly, if you like Landy are looking back worried about what other people are doing instead of laser focusing on your goal, you are losing ground.

God has equipped and empowered you to achieve great things.  Looking back and losing ground isn’t apart of His plan for your life.  He expects you to stay focused on your goals and win your race.  This is why the apostle Paul said “…But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13-14

Keep pressing forward, you’ve got this.  Your race is yours to win as long as you don’t look back. 

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