Keep Your Eyes Forward: Racing Toward the Finish Line of Faith

"There’s a reason a racecar’s windshield is so much larger than its rearview mirror. The driver’s focus is always on what’s ahead, not what’s behind. A driver who spends too much time looking backward won’t finish the race; he’ll crash before he ever reaches the checkered flag." Lionel Richie from a recent podcast

That’s how the Christian life works.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, He forgives our past, redeems our failures, and calls us to press forward. Yet so many believers still live like they’re driving with their eyes glued to the rearview mirror, haunted by yesterday’s sins, replaying mistakes, and reliving shame. But in Christ, our past no longer defines us.

The Apostle Paul captured this perfectly in Philippians 3:13–14 (LSB):

“Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul knew that looking back could only slow him down. His past was full of rebellion and regret; he had persecuted the very church he now loved. But grace changed his direction. Instead of being trapped by what was behind him, he fixed his eyes on the finish line, Christ Himself.

Our sin is like a pileup behind us on the racetrack. When we keep glancing back, we lose sight of the lane God has called us to run in. Salvation isn’t just about escaping judgment; it’s about moving forward in new life. Jesus didn’t die and rise again to keep us stuck in the past; He gave us the power to live for what’s ahead.

Imagine a racer flying down the straightaway, hands gripping the wheel, eyes fixed on the next turn. He doesn’t have time to dwell on a bad start or a mistake from the last lap. The only thing that matters is the course ahead and the finish line that awaits. That’s how we’re called to live in Christ, focused, determined, and forward-looking.

The writer of Hebrews put it this way (Hebrews 12:1–2, LSB):

“Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.”

Jesus is our prize. He is our finish line. And when we keep our eyes on Him, the guilt, shame, and failures of yesterday fade in the rearview mirror.

So today, stop looking back. The blood of Christ covers the wreckage behind you. The past can’t be undone, but it has been redeemed. Keep your hands steady, your heart set, and your eyes forward. The race isn’t over yet, and by His grace, you’re still in it.

Press on, racer. The finish line is in sight.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Jody