"Forward, Ho!"

God leads ever onward.

If we intend to follow Him we must be prepared to move onward as well. It is the only direction He takes.

Look straight ahead, not to the left or the right, and, most certainly, not back - you do remember Lot's wife, don't you? It didn't work for her. How about the young man who wanted to return to bury his father? And we certainly know this one, don't we? "Another also said, 'I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.' But Jesus said to him, 'No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

So where does that leave us with all of our Kodak moments, home videos, and attempts at remembering? (How hard I try to memorize special expressions only to realize it is futile. It just doesn't quite stick...) Memories are special. They have a place. They can serve us well, but that is the key - they should serve us. Let's remember His faithfulness. Let's remember what He's done, what He's saved us from, where we've been so we can call back to others. Let's honor the memory of those who have invested in our lives. It's alright to create altars of remembrance.

But then let's move on. We can't live there. We must make new memories, forge new paths, create new altars.

This, from the woman who is struggling to let go of those children who once were all beneath my wings, looking to me for care in a very direct way. Now I cannot begin to keep up with them. Danica is busy making a new home, carving out new patterns and establishing a life for Ryan and her. Brietta is packing her established home and experiencing transition with all its excitement and melancholy. Carina is close to finishing her schooling and will then return home for a season of seeking Him for the next step. Jamie is busy with school and work; I have begun to realize our visits will be few and far between. I am not able to care for them as I once did - indeed, I cannot. I now am relagated primarily to prayer. And in case you think that should be easier, I will suggest that it is not easier - just different. My heart is still invested in each one of them, but now through intercession. The burden to be faithful and earnest is a heavy one that I must yield to and gladly bear. In time it will become a familiar friend. But that is another whole topic.

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Pslam 27.13

The psalmist is looking ahead. We lose heart if we don't. We can expect to find Him in our tomorrows but He will not remain here in this moment forever. Make altars to Him and then look for the cloud and pillar of fire. It will leave you behind if you don't.

So - enjoy the moment, look to the future, and live for both with all your heart. This is the best way to live life that I have discovered. This is how you follow Him - when you're twenty, fifty, or ninety. Moving on. Forward Ho!