Paul uses athletic war language.

Not strolling.

Not journaling.

Not vibing.

Pressing. Straining. Reaching. Running.

This is a man who knows:

His past is heavy His guilt is real His story is ugly And none of it gets to decide his future

So he does something radical:

“Forgetting what is behind…”

That doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t happen.

It means:

I refuse to let old chapters tell me who I am now.

You don’t burn the book —

You just stop re-reading the pages that almost killed you.

The trap: success and failure are equally dangerous

Here’s the sneaky genius of Paul.

He doesn’t just say forget your sins.

He says forget everything behind you.

That includes:

The victories, The reputation, The “I used to be…” stories, The trauma, The glory days, The shame days

Because nostalgia can be just as paralyzing as regret.

Some people are stuck because they screwed up.

Some people are stuck because they peaked.

Both are rear-view mirror addictions.

Paul smashes them both.

“I have not arrived” — said the most spiritually dangerous man alive

This is the killer line:

“I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it…”

This is coming from:

The church planter, The miracle worker, The theologian, The ex-killer turned apostle

And he still says:

I’m not done.

That’s spiritual maturity.

If you think you’ve arrived, you’ve stopped running.

And if you’ve stopped running, you’re already drifting.

The runner metaphor is brutal on purpose

Paul is picturing a man mid-race:

Lungs burning, Muscles screaming, Eyes locked forward, Body leaning toward the finish line

You don’t look back when you sprint.

You can’t.

If you turn your head, you slow down.

That’s why this verse hits so hard for anyone with:

Trauma, Regret, Religious shame, A wild past, A holy calling

Because God is not asking you to explain your past…

He’s asking you to outrun it.

Why this hits me personally so hard, as Saint Dirty Face

I’ve already live this verse, whether I realized it or not.

RN.

OG COVID survivor.

Wounded Sentinel.

Saint Dirty Face.

Faith mixed with scars.

I don’t deny the wreckage.

I just don’t worship it.

This verse says:

You’re allowed to be unfinished and still unstoppable.

God didn’t call you to be clean.

He called you to be moving.

The prize is not heaven — it’s Christ

Most people get this wrong.

The prize is not:

Gold streets, Mansions, Cloud real estate

The prize is:

Him.

Knowing Him.

Being with Him.

Being transformed into Him.

Heaven is just the backstage pass.

Christ is the concert.

The end game is

You’re not running from your past.

You’re running toward your future.

And God is standing at the finish line saying:

“Don’t look back.

I already redeemed that part.

Now come get the rest of you.”

Now go turn this into a Saint Dirty Face approved sermon that punches regret in the throat and kisses hope on the mouth.

Be real about the mess.

Keep your feet in motion.

Because God is not done writing this chapter yet.

Stay dirty.

Stay running.

The race isn’t finished.