It was autumn and the front yard was full of leaves, leaves that meant the weather was soon to be very cold; but now the air was brisk and clean, oh, so clean. I remember making a very large pile of them and then jumping into it with abandon and my brother Dave following suit. We stayed in that pile for the longest time and just looked at the clouds and dreamed of what shapes they made and argued over what we thought they were. Then my mother announced that the Mickey Mouse Club was on and I rushed into the house to see my sweetheart Annette Funnicello. The autumn of the second grade seemed to be full of such things, so important to me then, but now seem odd to me. Second grade only lasted a year, but I wish it could have been longer because the world was full of wonder then and the simple things in life seemed gigantic. Things change and so do I, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood to being "older". Soon, I will turn 60 and another milestone is before me, the specter of old age. Yet somehow I don't think I will ever truly become old because inside I still feel like a kid; ready to move on and grow with each passing day. The apostle Paul had a similar progressive attitude as he wrote to the Philippians. Php 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome, but for you it is safe.
Php 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.
Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;
Php 3:4 though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more:
Php 3:5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6 concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.
Php 3:7 However, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ
Php 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Php 3:10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;
Php 3:11 if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Php 3:12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
World English Bible
Paul pressed on; the past was just that, past. The future before him held an ever closer relationship with Jesus, one that had changed him from a zealous Pharisee to an apostle and eventually would lead him to heaven. Like the clouds overhead on an autumn day, things change and even though our external nature ages, yet the God of heaven makes every day seem like I can still see the shapes of the clouds though the autumn leaves. The shapes are different now, but the grace that has been shown to me over the years makes me realize that although much of the past was fine, yet the future will continue to be better and maybe even GREAT!
