Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do,

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature be thus minded...

Philippians 3:12-15, RSV

I have always loved this passage. The Apostle Paul had in his earlier years persecuted Christians, often threatening them with death and having them thrown into prison. He was one of the "in crowd" for his efforts. He was wealthy, powerful and comfortable, but he gave all of these things up when He realized that Jesus really was the Son of God. Now the roles are reversed, and Paul has been under the threat of death and is now in prison - cast there by the very "In crowd" that he was once part of. 

But rather than think about what he had done (he had already repented of that and had had his sins washed away), and instead of bemoaning all that he had lost in order to follow Christ, he decided to simply put all of that behind him and concentrate on his goal of Heaven. 

How do we do this? How can we just forget what is in the past? Many are haunted by their failures and consider them so significant that they just can't give them up. In a like manner, many really seemed better off physically in the past. How do they forget that which they have given up? Paul, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the secret to this seemingly impossible task: He can forget what lies behind, both the good and the bad, because he has something far bigger to focus upon.

In short, he has a goal. That goal is eternal, so he is able to forget the temporal things of his past because they are no longer relevant to one who has an eternal perspective. 

Could this type of mindset help you? Could it really help you let go of the past and get on with life? The answer is yes, because the more important always has the ability to crowd out the less important. And while our past lives cannot be ignored, they can be diminished in such a way as to no longer rule over our thoughts. When you have a great goal, you no longer need to live with the regrets of missed opportunities, for you now have something far greater to occupy your mind with. Your goal is now nothing less than Heaven itself - both for you and for those you love. 

So, like Paul, you can forget what lies behind and focus your thoughts on what lies ahead. No wonder Paul said this as he wrapped up his letter to the Philippians:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Philippians 4:4, RSV