I need things on the horizon and not on the back burner. Goals and dreams and things to look forward to in the near and far future. Anyone else like this? I love having a vacation or even an overnight getaway scheduled about 6 months in advance. When I get bogged down in my week and feeling like I need something to change, this is a marker for me! I tend to be a goal-oriented person, so I can see the benefit. However, doesn’t everyone want something to look forward to?

Just having a back burner full of items that aren’t dealt with ends up feeling like a burden. It holds me back instead of motivating me forward. Something about the back burner also has me looking back and having regrets. We have heard it said that hindsight is 20/20. However, clear vision in the rear-view mirror of our life can sometimes feel like regret or shame. I can spend so much time wishing I could go back and change something that I did or something that I said, that I get bogged down in the past.

I am currently listening to Ed Mylett’s book “The Power of One More”. This might be why my thoughts are circling on the past, present, and future. He said, “Too many people are stuck in the past. It kills their ability to be productive in the present, and robs them of making plans for the future. The past is gone forever, but until you let go of it, the past is a thief and steals your ability to dream and imagine. Stay connected to the present to build a better future!”

Our past has a way of making itself known. However, I think it is where you are choosing to focus that is important. Are you fully turned around and just gazing at the past? Are you just glancing over your shoulder constantly thinking something is going to change? Are you just waiting to be rear-ended by your past as you stay stuck in the present? If we picture this in the sense of driving a vehicle, we can see the obvious negative in a lot of these scenarios. We can also see how it would be hard to make progress forward into our future if we are constantly looking at the past.

I am not saying that you making something so big and distant that you can ignore it. But more like having markers for 2025, 2030, or even beyond. Our life has some natural markers or rhythms. I am thinking of 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2027. These are all the graduating years of my four children. Those years come with some natural pivotal points of them transitioning to college or other plans for their lives. It takes some of the daily physical parenting away and pivots my focus more on emotional and mental parenting young adults. We often then look at these years and dread them as well because we don’t want to move to that next stage. Or do you dread a big birthday in the future…I have been teasing my husband that he was “pushing 50” for the past 5 years. So when he did actually turn 50, it did not seem as major.

This feels like a mindset shift and a focused choice. We can regret the past and fear the future to the point that we can’t be present. We also don’t want to ignore the past. The past is a good teacher. It is what has helped develop us into the resilient and discerning people we are today. Look ahead on the horizon of your life and look forward to the future God has planned for you!