forget what lies behind & press on
by: Marguerite Reeve
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Years ago I heard a speaker say, “The true measure of a man or woman is not what they have accomplished, but what it takes to discourage them.”
In looking back over the past 25+ years, I have found that to be so true. In the midst of God performing incredible miracles to get us to where we are today, there were lonely times of decisions. I didn’t realize it at the time. But those decisions ended up impacting not only my life, but hundreds of thousands of others as well.
At the time, thought, it was not easy to see beyond my own pain and hurt. Come with me on a journey back in time for a “behind the scenes” look at two of my most discouraging moments. The life-changing decisions I made during those hard times greatly shaped who I am and what Faith Community is today.
It was April 1973. I was sitting on a grassy hill at the Hope University campus in Fullerton, California waiting for Jim to come out from class. I was 20 years old, working as an Alpha Beta grocery checker, supporting us while he was going to school full time studying to go into the ministry. After only being married nine months, everything within me wanted to give up on our marriage. As a Christian, I had been growing in my relationship with God, the Bible was coming alive when I read it, and I felt the presence of the Lord when I prayed. Living with Jim was another story. I wanted to leave, admit I had made the biggest mistake in my life, and move on. I remember crying out to God in prayer as I waited on that hill.
I opened my Bible and my eyes landed on Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already obtained this or an 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…” The words “forgetting the past “ and “press on” seemed to leap off the page as I read them. I didn’t know how to do it, but I made a decision while sitting on that hill just “me and God.” I decided to forget the past, press on for what lies ahead, and work with God on changing me. Before this I had been working (unsuccessfully) on changing Jim! Being Jim’s own personal Holy Spirit had simply not worked. I committed myself to trusting God’s Word more than my emotions or ability. I’d like to say it was easy, but it wasn’t. I met every day with a determination and a reso to never give up. Now 32 years later, I marvel as I see the 10,000+ people whose lives are changed every week at Faith’s weekend services. I am astounded at the hundreds of thousands impacted weekly by the Balanced Living TV program. I get teary eyed sometimes looking at my three grown kids, two daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. Little did I ever imagine that so many changed lives would be part of my “prize” for pressing on past discouragement. When Jim came out of class that April day in 1973, he met a changed woman. And when God changed me, it affected Jim in a powerful way. Much of who he is today is because of what God did in my life that day. I made a decision to allow God to change me rather than yield myself to anger and depression. If you ever get a letter from Jim, you’ll notice he signs all of his correspondences “Press on”. Now you know why.
A second decision occurred around 1987. Jim and I received a phone call one night. Legal accusations were being brought against one of our staff members at church. The staff member stepped down immediately and left, but the local papers carried the story week after week. That was an extremely hard time for us. Jim and I were only 34 years old. We were doing the best we knew how to lead our people with wisdom and love. We had worked hard, and now situations beyond our control seemed to be shattering our dreams right before our eyes.
One of our key leaders told us, “Seven is a number of completion in the Bible. The church is seven years old, let’s just shut everything down and call it quits.” I remember that day as if it were yesterday. When I heard him say that, something inside me rose up. I thought back on that Sunday morning in 1997 when God had so clearly spoken to Jim about starting a church in the San Gabriel Valley that flowed with the power of the Holy Spirit while being firmly grounded in the
Word. My heart had “leaped” in confirmation when Jim shared with me what God had told him. We started Faith Community on the first Sunday in January of 1980. We were both 27 years old and full of youthful enthusiasm. Now, seven years (and a lot of problems!) later, I had to choose not to give in to depression and discouragement. I made a choice. God said to start Faith Community Church. He never said to quit. I chose to continued song what God told us to do until I heard differently, no matter what our circumstances looked like at the time. I didn’t doubt in the “dark” what God had told us in the “light.” I would like to say that everything turned around right away. The reality was that it took three long years of pressing on past problems and discouragement. Three long years of encouraging ourselves while we ministered to others. Three long years of making sure our kids didn’t get turned off to a vibrant relationship with God because of how they saw us handling our problems. During this time Jim amazed me. Our son Dan was at the age where he kept asking us “What do you think I should be when I grow up? I wanted to shout “Anything but a minister!” I was seeing my husband go through “hell” and I sure didn’t want to see any of my kids be beat up by the ministry as well. But Jim, in the midst of his darkest times, would talk to the kids about the great privilege of serving God and being a part of impacting people’s lives for eternity. I am so glad I didn’t complain and say everything that was on my mind. Today all three of our kids love God and are in ministry. What Jim and I learned during those very difficult years are in large part the reason we are able to do what we are doing now. God had to grow us bigger before He grew our ministry bigger. Our capacity for leadership increased most in our toughest time. And what we learned, God is now using to strengthen and empower other leaders around the world. What a privilege. All because we made a decision to trust God no matter what our circumstances looked like.
These are just two of the hard choices that have shaped me into who I am. What choices are you faced with today? Maybe you have not been proud of all the choices you have made in the past. We all could live in the past, wishing we had done things differently. Today is a new day. Make choices Based on God’s Word, not on your emotions. God has an incredible purpose and plan for your life. Sometimes seeing God’s hand in the midst of our darkest times is not easy. I could never have imagined how many lives would be impacted by the choices I made. God doesn’t love me any more than he loves you. “Today is the day. You are the person. You make the choice. God makes the change” That phrase is not just how Jim closes each service. It’s how we live our lives.
points to consider:
What decisions are you currently facing? Remember, the choices you make today will shape your future and the futures of those closest to you.
