Smile and Say Cheese!

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
If you don't have a goal in mind to strive for, you are almost certain to hit it! God had plans for you according to Jeremiah 29. You should have a plan too. The best way to live is to make certain that you adopt His plan so that what you want and what He desires are synonymous.
Here's the tough part: it will require a lot of forgetting and a great deal of straining. That's right, you and I will have to learn how to not let our past have power over us and then use the power in reserve to reach towards the things that God has set up in advance for us.
"How can I forget my past when it shows up everyday?" Good question! I think the only way to achieve this is to keep pressing on toward the goal of a godly life. Your past may never disappear. But when Jesus appears and you fix your eyes on Him, He stands between you and the past and all you see is Jesus! 
Learn the lesson of your camera: what you focus on will develop. In other words, what you have in your viewfinder will be the image that gets printed when you take the picture. Focus on what is ahead, the prize, God's calling and plan for your life!
Smile and say...cheeeeese!