In July, 1986, George Holtyzer of Belgium, walked 418 miles in about 6 ½ days…backwards!
Have you ever tried to walk backwards? It’s hard. It’s so hard that most people give up before they’ve gone very far at all. Even George. As impressive as his effort might’ve been, he quit in less than a week, simply because human beings weren’t designed to face opposite of the direction in which they travel. The shape of our feet, the placement of our eyes, and the arrangement of our toes are all indicators that God, when He created us, intended that our focus should remain in the very same direction that we walk. Forward…Always forward.
PREOCCUPIED WITH THE PAST
Most people understand this just fine. They know enough to keep looking onward so that they can see where they’re going, at least in the physical realm. But when it comes to spiritual things, many people are walking completely backwards. They try their best to move ahead in life, but their attention is always on that which lies behind them. They’ve experienced something in the past that has so thoroughly captured their attention that they simply refuse to turn away from it. They’re convinced that who they are today, and where they go tomorrow, has ultimately been answered by what they’ve experienced in the past, for better or for worse.
Walking backwards…can cripple you over time
For some it may be the faulty genes they inherited at conception, the negative influences that shaped them as a child, or a particular trauma they suffered along the way. For others it’s a more positive experience; their “golden years” perhaps, or their college days; their wedding, or the birth of a child. It hardly matters whether the details of a person’s past are upsetting or uplifting. Either one has the same potential to keep a person so mesmerized by the events of yesteryear that they can neither face the challenges nor see the opportunities that lie ahead. Walking backwards might seem exciting at first, and preferable for a while, but it can cripple you over time.
A DANGEROUS JOURNEY
When a person pays greater attention to where they’ve been than to where they’re going (whether physically or spiritually) they’re making the journey far more difficult, dangerous, and inefficient than the Lord meant for it to be. In sharp contrast, modern psychology insists that every problem we face in life is somehow linked to our past. God, however, designed us to move forward, with our focus in front, not behind.
The Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Philippi saying, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind, I reach forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Apparently, God has ‘prizes’ for those who get their directions right. That makes Paul a good example for us to follow. Not George. Paul. Thanks Paul.
FALLING DOWN
There’s no better way to set yourself up to stumble and fall than trying to walk backwards. A person can’t prepare for the future when they’re still staring into the past. Yet many walk this way, not only because they’ve been captivated by something behind them, but because they’ve got so little to look forward to.
Spiritually unambitious, they give little attention to God’s Word which gives them the promise of eternal life. With little or no awareness that their life is eternal, they give little or no attention to what lies ahead of them. With no eternal perspective, their whole life is wasted with tripping over the smallest of sins and obstacles. Their backward walk with Christ is little more than one injury after another. It’s frustrating for them and for Jesus both.
FACING THE FUTURE
God is very intent that His children get a firm grasp of the reality of their spiritual and physical future: “Those who die in the LORD will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy!” (Isaiah 26:19). Jesus wants us all to know that “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live…whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).
Why should we walk backwards through this life when we’ve got so much to look forward to and prepare for? It’s a foolish waste of time to remain unable to “reach forward to what lies ahead” because you’re so engrossed with “what lies behind”…especially since you don’t have to! If your “progress of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” is being hindered, it might be your own fault. Nobody walks backward by accident. Not even George Holtyzer. If you’re doing it, it’s because you’ve chosen to. You need to turn around and find your stride. Walking backwards for too long will compromise your entire spiritual posture.
Nobody walks backward by accident
It’s not as hard as you think to turn around. Anybody can do it. Some people, like George, realize this after only 6 ½ relatively brief, yet agonizing days. For others, unfortunately, it’ll take a bit longer.
PRESSING ON
What’s in your past is history. Have you accomplished great things for the Lord? Congratulations, but there’s more to be done. Have you sinned? Move on. Have you suffered? Get going. Have you fallen? Get up, get some help, and push ahead. You’ll die soon enough, so there’s no need for you to live like it’s already happened. Time is running short for all of us, and the only chance you have to invest in your own afterlife is now while you live. Don’t waste your time. Serve Jesus, fight the fight; run the race.
You can spend your time walking backwards if you like, or you can march ahead like Jesus who, “For the joy set before Him” endured the greatest trauma known to any living being in history. Nothing stopped Him from going forward. May we all, without distraction, move forward like soldiers, undeterred by the experiences and events of yesterday.