Moving Forward

There’s a Christian song written by Israel Houghton called “Moving Forward” that I absolutely love. It’s a song about change, hope, and new beginnings. There are two lines in the song that always give me chills when I hear them. The first, “I'm not going back, I'm moving ahead here to declare to you my past is over in you.” And the other, “You make all things new, and I will follow you forward,” which  is sung repeatedly by the choir into a crescendo of epic proportion. When times are tough, or I find myself feeling out of sorts, I turn to this song.

It's spring– a time to renew, move forward, and leave the dark and cold of winter behind. Winter can be a heavy time. Our clothes are heavy, the air is tough to breathe, ice and snow often make it difficult to move about, and staying indoors where it's warm and safe becomes priority number one. But now it's spring and things have been made anew. We deserve to follow this newness forward.

As we refresh ourselves and shake off the gloom of winter, I encourage us all to do a little soul searching and make a commitment to leave not only our winter clothes and favorite chicken soup recipes behind but also people and situations that weighed us down. By leaning into our faith, we can make all things new and move our lives forward.  Find your inspiration for moving forward. Take out a sheet of paper and write down the thing or things you will leave behind. Remember, the past is over and there’s no reason to go back.  The kids always sing “April showers bring May flowers.” This little ditty is so reflective of life. Take this month to shed your tears, purge yourself of things and people that don’t belong, and get ready for the May flowers that will bloom and bring happiness, joy, and peace in your life. Spring forward.