A super rollercoaster called "Thunder Road" was one of the chosen rides for a youth group I was with at an amusement park. It had two lines for you to choose from. One said, "Forward," and the other said, "Backward." You could ride "Thunder Road" in the conventional way, looking forward with at least a little chance to prepare yourself for what was coming. But the backward bunch - they had no idea what was about to happen to their body.
In a way, we all have to choose which way we are going to ride through life. There are two lines: one says forward - looking ahead to what's going to happen, to the future. And the other says backward - looking back at the past. Those who choose to keep looking backward are going to have a much rougher road.
In Isaiah 43:18-19 God says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Now, that could be a very personal word to you right now. God's saying "I want to do a new thing; I want to start a great new chapter in your life." But notice what has to happen before you can get God's new thing. You have to close the old chapter. "Forget the past; do not dwell on the former things." Could it be that you're missing a new beginning from God, a better chapter because you're looking back?
God may want to do a new thing in your marriage, or between you and your parents, or one of your children, or maybe in your church, or in some key relationships, or in your work. But He cannot fill your heart with His grace as long as it's full of your bitterness.
The best view is for those who get in the car that looks forward. It may not always be a smooth ride, but it isn't nearly as rough as the ride is for someone who keeps looking at what has already happened. You can choose that other line today, the one that forgets the former things and does not dwell on the past.