One of the biggest movies of 1994, besides ‘The Lion King’ was ‘Forrest Gump’. It won six Academy Awards, one of which was for ‘Best Picture’. It follows the life of a man from Alabama who displays traits symptomatic of Autism Spectrum Disorder and suffers from physical disabilities who goes on to achieve great things despite the challenges he faces.
Some of his accomplishments included being a championship-winning college football player, competing internationally as a skilled table tennis player, being awarded the ‘Medal of Honor’ for his bravery during the Vietnam war. He also became a successful businessman in the shrimping industry.
One of the iconic lines in cinematic history which has become something of a mantra for our culture was uttered by Gump to a stranger sitting next to him on a park bench: “Mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get”.
But there is another pearl of wisdom from Mrs Gump that Forrest recalls that is not so well remembered. “My mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on”.
I reckon the real hero in this movie is Mrs Gump. The reason Forrest Gump never thought of himself as disadvantaged or carried a chip on his shoulders was largely due to the unwavering love and support she provided him in addition to the values of dignity, respect and resilience she instilled in him. She consistently challenged societal limitations placed on him and empowered him to ‘do the best with what God gave you’. No time for self-pity. No time for blame. Put the past behind you.
Indeed, when I reflect on Jesus’ words, “Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37c), he is giving us a pathway to put the past behind us. Let me be clear: forgiveness doesn’t mean unquestioningly absolving the guilty of their responsibilities. In forgiving, God is not asking us to be in denial about our pain. The reason there is a need to forgive is because there have been acts of wrongdoing committed against you!
So work through the feelings of outrage and grief. You can’t move on until you do and this takes time. However, at some point, you will need to forgive. I know licking your wounds over and over again is very tempting but don’t do it. It can make things worse.
May God grant you the serenity to accept the things you cannot change; courage to change the things you can; and wisdom to know the difference (Reinhold Niebuhr).
Following Jesus,
Mark
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