Originally written September 21, 2020
On a trip to eastern Oklahoma, I was in a place surrounded by lush, green beauty and life. And yet as I looked around, my eye was immediately drawn to the one imperfection in the forest. One single branch that’s broken off, withered, and died. I suspect it happened during a storm when it couldn’t handle the sustained winds that came against it, and it failed. Or maybe during the previous winter there was a build up of ice, and it just became too heavy for the branch to bear. Either way, we now have this one imperfection among an entire forest.
After I noticed it and started to pay attention to the flaw, I began to look around, looking for more flaws. You know, we’re like that. Once we notice something negative and start to give it our focus, we begin looking for more of the same. There were blooms on the tree just to the right, and I even thought, “Oh, that’s beautiful! I’m going to come back to that in a minute and really look at that,” and then continued to look for flaws. But even after searching my view, I couldn’t find more flawed branches.
Did you ever play the game as a child ‘Which of these is not like the other’? This branch looks like it doesn’t belong anymore. My first inclination was “Awe! That’s so sad. Someone needs to cut that dead branch down.” But it’s not diseased, it’s just something that happened in the life of that one tree. It’s not the trunk, it’s not the root system. It’s just one branch—not even a major one!
I think this is like our lives. We have this whole forest of green life, but our mind is drawn to the sad imperfection. Maybe it’s something from the past that happened, maybe my failure in one area, maybe I had no part in the storm, but it affected me. Maybe it’s just an imperfection or a area that I need to feed or water or give some extra support. Maybe there’s still some potential life in that branch. Maybe the Lord is leading you to lop off that branch so something new can grow in its place. Maybe He’s wanting to leave it there as a sweet reminder of a time that He was with you in a fierce storm.
Isaiah 43 says,
“This is what GOD says, “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’ —the coyotes and the buzzards— Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, Drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.”
Isaiah 43:16-21 MSG
Philippians 3 says,
“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.
“So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.”
Philippians 3:12-16 MSG
The new American Standard version of Philippians 3, verse 13 says “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”
In the Greek, the word forgetting means epilanthanomai = “to neglect” or “to no longer care for.” In other words “don’t feed it; don’t water it.” Don’t pet it and give it undue attention.
Are there times that we are supposed to remember? You bet! Several times God commanded people (Jacob and Joshua) to get a rock, anoint it, and set it as a memorial to Him. But the difference is that we remember and memorialize what God has done—not where we failed or someone else fell short.
Let's reset our focus. Let's fix our gaze on the green, lush LIFE that surrounds us. Let's see our lives through a lens of gratitude. Let's give some grace in those areas of our lives that are damaged, broken, and unsightly, and let's let Father have His way there. Let's press on toward the high calling of Christ and look up!
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