“For me, looking back is akin to being on a tightrope and looking down. It doesn’t help you in the present moment to deal with what you have to deal with in order to move forward.” ~ The Edge
One of the reasons we do not like change is that change can be very unpredictable. We would rather be stuck in a way of life that is far from perfect rather than move ahead into the unknown. We prefer the predictable over the unknown.
Jesus’ followers felt just that way. In today’s gospel, the post-resurrection account shows us that the apostles were going to return to their older, predictable ways of life. The fishermen were going to take up fishing again.
In that moment of fishing, they encountered the Risen Lord and they did so in the same manner in which He first called them. They realized that it was Jesus and they were overwhelmed. They quickly rushed to the shore and gathered around Him.
We move back and forth in our lives. There are times that we are very close to the Lord. We feel His presence more keenly than at other times in our lives. In doing so, we are extremely close to Him and would do anything for Him. At other times, we feel far from the Lord. Since we do not feel His closeness, we begin to look to the things of this world for some kind of predictability and comfort.
The Lord is always around. It is we who move from Him and then draw near to Him again. He does not play games with us by drifting away. We, rather, drift away from Him because of our own sinfulness.
We continue to celebrate Easter this day. In doing so, we claim that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and won the victory of eternal life for all of us by His resurrection. We claim that. But, do we believe that?
Are we drifting more toward our predictable past or are we willing to look to a future with the Lord? Looking back while trying to walk forward will only make us stumble and fall. Let us do all we can to keep our eyes fixed ahead of us this day.
FAITH ACTION: Is there anything that keeps you rooted in the past and your eyes off of the Lord? Try to move past those things and look with renewed hope to the future.