FORWARD

BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

Forward. 

 

For the past few weeks, I have felt held back and even pulled back in some ways. 

 

Life is not always easy, and it does not always feel like we are moving in the right direction. That is part of the difficulties of our existence. However, my grandmother always taught me that flowers do not grow on the mountaintop.

 

According to her sentiment, beauty comes from struggle, the difficult journey of climbing insurmountable obstacles in pursuit of the pinnacle. As we go about life, we climb and walk through the valleys. 

 

Often, we find ourselves experiencing darkness in the valleys. However, the light is there. 

 

As Amanda Gorman once said, "When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it."

 

As a follower of Christ, I find myself resting on His promises to help me with the anguish of my battered soul. As a renewed being in His name, I seek out scriptures that remind me of His light. I know being His hands and feet will draw me farther from the dark forces of this world and closer to His light. 

 

Though the valleys may be dark and the journey steep, God did not call us to stand still. We are called to move forward and to press on despite the weight of yesterday and the uncertainty of tomorrow. 

 

Forward is not just a direction; it is an act of faith. It is a declaration that we will not be defined by what holds us back but by the hope that draws us ahead.

 

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:13-14, "Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus."

 

The past has its lessons, but it is not our home. Regret and fear do not have the final word. We are to set our eyes on the path before us, knowing that He goes before us, making a way where there seems to be none.

 

Moving forward does not mean forgetting the struggles or pretending they never existed. 

 

It means embracing them as part of the refining process, allowing God to use them for His purpose. It means stepping out in trust, even when the road is unclear. It means believing that His light is not only something we seek but something we are called to carry.

 

So, let us move forward—not with hesitation but with confidence. Let us walk in His strength, leaning on His promises. Let us be the light in the valleys and the reflection of His love in a world longing for hope.

 

For there is always light. If only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.

 

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