不好的開始變成好的結束

最近有人送我一句可以解決這困境的話：「沒有人可以重新再一次開始，但你可從今天開始做出一個新的結果。」

對我而言，這似乎很合理。不論是打一場高爾夫球、開始一個新的事業、或建立一個新的友誼，你只有一次開始的機會。而有時我們的開始沒有我們想像的那麼強而有力。但就像一個世界級的賽跑選手，若我們一開始就跌了一跤，我們不能回到起點再重新起跑，我們只能爬起來繼續跑，希望後面跑得更好。

在你生命中有什麼事是你希望有不同的做法，或甚至能重新來過？你也許做了一個工作上的決定，但回顧時後發現並不明智。某人也許提供你一個機會，但那機會被你錯過了。你也許做了一些投資，但後來發現那投資並不好。你也許破壞了一個重要的關係，可能無法修復。不幸的是，不論你有多後悔，已做的事就做了－－無法塗抹。那麼你要從這裡走向何處？

如同以上那句話所說，我們的開始已經被固定住了，但我們可以從今天開始，做出一個新的、更有希望的結果。聖經對這一點也說了許多：

離開過去的失敗，重新努力去達到你的目標。耽溺在無法改變的過去，通常只會產生反效果。重新評估你要往哪裡去，你要如何達到那裡，你如何知道你已到達，然後你就要專注在你的標的。「忘記背後，努力面前的，向著標竿直跑，要得神在基督耶穌裡從上面召我來得的獎賞」（腓立比書3章13-14節）。

不斷地向後看會使你前面的道路歧曲不定。一個駕駛牽引機在田地上耕耘的農夫要專心地看前面，他知道若他向後看，他就不能維持直線。「你當竭力在神面前得蒙喜悅，作無愧的工人，按著正意分解真理的道」（提摩太後書2章15節）。

過去殘留的事物常常與現在或未來不相容。有時人們會說：「讓過去的留在過去。」通常一個新的開始，完全離開過去的事，對尋求打造一個我們想要的未來是最好的做法。「沒有人把新衣服撕下一塊來補在舊衣服上；若是這樣，就把新的撕破了，並且所撕下來的那塊新的和舊的也不相稱」（路加福音5章36節）。

Recently someone sent me a quotation that addresses this type of dilemma: “Nobody can start a new beginning, but you can start today and make a new ending.”

That seems like solid reasoning to me. Whether it is a round of golf, opening a new business, or establishing a new relationship, you only have one opportunity to start. And sometimes we fail to start as well or as strong as we would like. But like a world-class sprinter, if we stumble out of the blocks we can”t go back and restart the race. We just continue onward, hoping to do better as we advance.

What do you have in your life that you wish you could do differently, or even do over? You may have made a career choice that, in retrospect, was unwise. Someone may have offered you an opportunity that is no longer available. You may have made some investments that, it turned out, were unsound. You may have damaged an important relationship, perhaps beyond repair. Unfortunately, no matter how badly you wish it were otherwise, what is done is done – and cannot be undone. So where do you go from here?

As the statement above declares, our beginning has been cast in concrete, but we can start today and work toward a new, more promising ending. The Bible has much to say about this:

Leave past failures behind, and recommit to achieving your goals. Dwelling on the unchangeable past is usually counterproductive. After reevaluating where you want to go, how you intend to get there, and how you will know when you have arrived, maintain concentration on your destination. “…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” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Continually looking behind you will cause the path ahead of you to be crooked and erratic. A farmer driving a tractor to till his field maintains his focus forward, knowing that to look backward could well result in failing to keep straight the lines he is cultivating. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV).

Remnants of the past are often incompatible with the present or the future. “Let the past remain in the past,” it is sometimes said. Often a fresh start, a total departure from what has gone on previously, is the best course of action in our quest to forge a desirable future. “…”No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.”” (Luke 5:36).

Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. A veteran of more than 38 years in professional journalism, he is the author of Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today”s Workplace (River City Press) and has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring: 10 Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential (NavPress).