Months ago now, my husband and I took a vacation. Every detail of each day may not be remembered, but one experience has remained permanently etched in my memory.
We took a catamaran excursion one day. The man who hosted the ride was friendly, gregarious, and kept us entertained with his lively conversation. Towards the end of our time, he shared the words which hit me deeply that day and have stuck like glue.
There was no need to jot them down as I knew I would never forget those four words. This week I needed the reminder, the charge so to speak, to keep moving and not get stuck in negative thoughts. As I spent time, thinking about each word, encouragement and hope filled my soul.
- Upward. The word can be defined as moving to a higher point or a higher position. In Proverbs 15:24 we are told, “The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind.” Our eyes are to be set on things above, seeking God’s will and purposes in which we will find life, both in the now and in the future.
- Onward. This is a continuing toward a point ahead or in front of us. It is a forward movement. It was with this word, I found myself humming the old song, “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Years of having sung it each morning of VBS have ingrained every word in my mind … “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war”; “Onward then, ye people join our happy throng”; “Christ the royal master, leads against the foe”. As we sung the last part, a sense of victory filled our young hearts … “Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane. But the cross of Jesus, Constant will remain.” We never give up. We always hold onto Him and go forward.
- Forward. This is moving ahead, but not just moving ahead to any point. It is a moving towards a goal. It denotes to move from one destination to another. Paul, in writing to the Philippians, reminded them, “… but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13, NLT).
- Together. We need to have people who will love and encourage us to go the journey with us. You know the ones. The ones who will not let us give up or get stuck. Paul also knew life was a race that we run individually, while at the same time, we run it collectively. “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:14, NLT).
And so I share with you the words spoken months ago:
“Upward. Onward. Forward. Together.”
~ A Bahamian Saying
Today I am joining … TrekkingThru the Week and Porch Stories and Tell His Story and Coffee For Your Heart and Woman to Woman .
Joanne,
I love this saying and how you’ve drawn from scripture to illustrate it so beautifully! Thank you for sharing this “Ahaa” moment from your trip.
I am glad you stopped here, Julia. It is amazing how the saying has stayed with me for months now. It spoke to me then but even more so as of late. Have a great Wednesday!
Hi Joanne,
The title of this spoke struck me because I am a Bahamian. I love it; “Upward, onward, forward, together.” That’s how we do it! Love the scriptural references.
I am so glad you like this saying 🙂 It is definitely now one I will never forget. Blessings!
Oh … the Bahamas. Your post today is bringing back some vivid, lovely memories. Thanks, Joanne …
;-}
Linda, I am glad that you have remembered some lovely memories. May they bless you all day long!
Hi Joanne, Thanks for linking to TrekkingThru! I love the Bahamas – it is so beautiful and a whole – different – world!!! Your lesson is rich and insightful – thanks for sharing!
It is a joy to join your linkup, Char. Your sight is just lovely. I pray God uses you and grows a community by which we can all trek together each week!
That’s a beautiful memory to bring home from your trip. Often it’s those kind of things that can have the most value years later! Thanks for sharing this, Joanne.
What a great quote and memory from your trip! But your memories of VBS triggered my own memories! We also sang “Onward Christian Soldiers” to begin each day’s session. I wonder why? But it sure helped that hymn to lodge securely in my heart: keep moving onward with Jesus! Thanks for the encouragement of sweet memories today!
Oh Bettie, you so made me smile this morning! We children marched in every morning as we walked behind the Christian flag. I think it was to secure the truth in our mind that as believers, we do face battles. But we are also victorious through our Lord. I am so grateful we both share this memory in common! Blessings to you today!
Thanks for sharing those. Easy to remember but powerful reminders to keep moving and keep loving. Beautiful pix too!