Objects in Mirror / 镜中之物

[Dexu Xia]

Objects in Mirror

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.Philippians 3:14

“Must. Go. Faster.” That’s what Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, says in an iconic scene from the 1993 movie Jurassic Park as he and two other characters flee in a Jeep from a rampaging tyrannosaurus. When the driver looks in the rearview mirror, he sees the raging reptile’s jaw—right above the words: “OBJECTS IN MIRROR MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.”

The scene is a masterful combination of intensity and grim humor. But sometimes the “monsters” from our past feel like they’ll never stop pursuing us. We look in the “mirror” of our lives and see mistakes looming right there, threatening to consume us with guilt or shame.

The apostle Paul understood the past’s potentially paralyzing power. He’d spent years trying to live perfectly apart from Christ, and even persecuted Christians (Philippians 3:1–9). Regret over his past could easily have crippled him.

But Paul found such beauty and power in his relationship with Christ that he was compelled to let go of his old life (vv. 8–9). That freed him to look forward in faith instead of backward in fear or regret: “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal” (vv. 13–14).

Our redemption in Christ has freed us to live for Him. We don’t have to let those “objects in (our) mirror” dictate our direction as we continue forward.  

Reflect & Pray

How do Paul’s insights on Christ's forgiveness of us speak into those issues in your life? If you’re struggling with a past choice, who might you talk to for help to “press on”?

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镜中之物

向着标竿直跑，要得上帝在基督耶稣里从上面召我来得的奖赏。-腓立比书3章14节

在1993年的电影《侏㑩纪公园》经典场景中，伊恩博士和他的同伴坐吉普车逃离凶猛的暴龙，口里喊着：“开快点！”驾驶员从后视镜看到暴龙龇牙裂嘴，其下颚刚好就在后视镜的警语上:“镜中所见之物，可能比你以为的更靠近。”

这一幕巧妙地结合了紧张的气氛和逗趣的幽默。有时我们看着生命的“后视镜”，也会看到过去的错误紧追在后，似乎要以罪咎感或羞耻感将我们吞没。

使徒保罗清楚知道，过去的失败可能会使人瘫痪无力。他曾花了多年时间，试图靠自己活出完美的生活，甚至还迫害基督徒（腓立比书3章1-9节）。对过去的悔恨，极易令他深受打击，以致停滞不前。

然而，后来保罗认识了基督，经历了上帝的美好与大能，使他能放下过去（8-9节），他凭着信心向前看，并没有活在过去的恐惧和懊悔中。他说：“我只有一件事，就是忘记背后，努力面前的，向着标竿直跑。”（13-14节）

我们因基督的救赎得释放，能为祂而活。所以在奔跑天路时，我们不必让这些“镜中之物”决定我们的方向。

看到保罗得到上帝的赦免，
如何帮助你面对生命中过去的错误？
如果你仍无法摆脱罪咎感，你可以跟谁谈一谈，
好让你能继续行走天路呢？

耶稣已赦免我们的罪，我们不必活在罪咎中。