Going Backwards to Move Forward

The LORD our God said to us in Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.” DEUTERONOMY 1:6 

For most of us normal people, parallel parking is the most frustrating activity in all of humankind. Goodness gracious, I cannot count the amount of attempts it takes me to shimmy my way into one of those spaces sometimes. 

One day, after successfully parallel parking in a spot downtown, I returned to my vehicle expecting to drive away with ease. However, a massive truck had backed up so close to my front bumper, it nearly kissed it. 

There was no way to drive forward without going backward—which I did, time and time and time again. People were staring, horns were honking, and it was mortifying. Eventually, I went backward enough times to angle my front bumper away from the truck and finally drive forward. What an embarrassing mess, but it’s fine, I’ll never see those people again. Hopefully. 

There may be areas of your life where you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, and no matter how hard you try, it feels like you can’t move forward. I’ve been there. It’s frustrating and painful and hopeless all at the same time. However, refusing to move forward from the pain of our past breeds self-pity and keeps us trapped. Thoughts of “woe is me” start to creep in, yet it doesn’t change our circumstances one lick, nor does it change the hearts of those around us. Self-pity drains energy, steals joy, and dismantles hope. As Joyce Meyer says, “We can live pitiful, or powerful, but not both.” 

As painful as it can be, sometimes going backward is the only way to move forward. Sometimes we need to face our past, acknowledge that it happened, and move forward in peace. Other times, expressing sorrow for our mistakes will help us move forward in relationships. And other times, seeking help through a professional counselor will allow us to mend old wounds and receive the supernatural healing Christ paid for on the cross. 

Life is lived forward, but it is only understood backward. It may take a few attempts to break free, but once we do, we will finally experience a forward-moving life. 

God, I don’t want to remain wounded by my past. Help me acknowledge it with strength and move forward with peace. Amen. 

This is an excerpt from Goodness Gracious: 90 Unfiltered Devotions for This Sometimes-Too-Serious Life by Hannah Crews – a devotional now available for pre-order on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.