Turn Back or Not?

Merging onto the interstate was easier than I had expected. It was 8:30 a.m. Without traffic backups, I would arrive in time to pick up my niece at 9:00 for her appointment.

Traffic slowed. This was a perfect time to check my cell phone to ensure there were no messages with last-minute changes from my niece. I reached carefully into the usual spot in my handbag. It was not there. In rushing, I had forgotten it.

Should I turn back? With a 60-mph speed limit, time restraints, and no upcoming exits, there was little choice. I decided to proceed without it.

Have you ever left home without your cell phone? What were your feelings?

I suspect most Americans feel uneasy leaving their phone at home.

For the next few hours, I would have no mobile functions: no calling or texting, GPS navigation, emergency alerts, verse of the day, or lunch menu choices or other notifications... I began to feel “uneasy.” Should I have turned back?

I thought of a few examples in the Bible about those who did not consider turning back, such as the twelve disciples:

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68).

The adulterous woman. Jesus forgave her past and told her,

“Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

David the psalmist confessed:

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:4).

He later declared,

I will praise the Lord all of my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live (Psalm 146:2).

The Apostle Paul said of himself:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 1 Timothy 1:15

He later said:

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

I too have received God’s forgiveness from a broken past. No… turning back is not an option:

I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes (Psalm 119:59).

Without my cell phone, all went well. My niece arrived early for her appointment, we used verbal communication (an almost-forgotten skill) to arrange meet up after, and we used her cell phone to help locate her favorite Colombian Blend coffee shop.

Five hours later, I was reunited with my handheld device. On checking, the only communication I had received was a message at 8:57: “Good morning, Aunt Merle. You haven't forgotten me, right?”

Loving Father, You have promised to forgive our past. May turning back from walking in that freedom never be an option, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

~

Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.