I know it’s weird, but I recently had reason to take a look at the Australian Coat of Arms (perhaps Harry and Meghan’s visit had something to do with it…). If you take a look, you will notice that the crest contains two animals, the emu and the kangaroo. Yes, both are indigenous to Australia, but that is not why they are included on the coat of arms.

Truth is, neither the emu nor the kangaroo can walk backwards. So their presence on the crest is meant to be a constant reminder for the people of Australia to be moving ahead, not to be consumed with the past. As a country, they want to be forward thinking.

Perhaps those of us who love the Lord ought to embrace a similar coat of arms and get focused on the future and not the past. I am certain that is why Paul reminded us in Philippians 3 to “…forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.”

And in Hebrews 11, we need to notice the comment about Moses, “he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

Looking ahead is an attitude, not just a decision. Change is an action. We change jobs, we change where we live, and we can change our standard of living. But making that transition requires more than just a decision. It requires a whole series of decisions. We call that a process.

As believers, we need to embrace that process. We need to be intentional about learning how to let go of the way things used to be and taking hold of the new things all around us.

Perhaps your life has been turned upside down recently. There was a death or a major health change. You engaged in a new career path or recently retired. Your last child left the nest or maybe you just had your first baby.

Change has come, and so now its time to transition. It’s time to let go of the past and move forward. Isaiah tells us to “Forget the former things and do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing…” (Isa. 43:18).

So, let’s join the line of emus and kangaroos and move forward this week. I am confident that the Lord has lots of new things in store for His kids.