Just moving, moving on, and moving forward have one vital element in common: there is movement. Movement means that there is life. And where there is life, there can be hope. And hope provides both motivation and direction for movement. And thus, the cycle continues.
Just moving implies movement that is a hiccup away from being nullified by the word just, giving the impression that there is little more than an ever-so-slight movement or movement with little or no effort or emotion. But whether we are referring to movement in someone we love who has battled great difficulty or sadness or to the movement we are personally able to take when we thought we just couldn’t go on, we must focus on the fact—the hope—that there is, in fact, movement.
Moving on implies movement in a new direction—moving away from the present location or status. When it becomes clear that the current path is not the one we should be on or it is handing us a battle we cannot—and perhaps should not—win, it is time to move on to a new road, taking the lessons (both painful and joyful) with us, and heading to a destination that gives hope, not defeat. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that “moving on” is equivalent to “giving up.” It’s quite the opposite. It’s winning by fighting diligently for what we believe is the right thing and then when the immovable brick wall confronts us, instead of repeatedly hitting the wall, spending our time becoming bloodied and too wounded to do anything else that we ought to be doing, we stop and acknowledge that our talents, skills, desires, goals, abilities, gifts, emotions, etc. would be better invested in another course of action—a course with hope.
Moving forward implies momentum. Additionally, it not only implies but also requires a forward look. Learn from the past, remember the past, cherish the memories from the past—and take them with you as you move forward. You don’t have to be done with the past to live in the present and look to the future. You can have all three simultaneously. And therein is the greatest hope.
Psalm 31:24 – Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 33:22 – May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 42:5 – Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
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