One of the saddest verses in the Bible is recorded in Deuteronomy chapter 2. It’s the first verse. It simply says, “And we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.”
   
Though God brought them out of Slavery in Egypt and with a great miracle brought them through the waters of the Red Sea, they turned away from His plan for them, and went back to the wilderness. Dreams are dashed! The hope of the Promised Land crushed beneath the fear of the people. Someone once suggested that the saddest words are “what might have been.” In one of his songs, Mac Davis penned these words, “There is nothing to do but bury a man when his dreams are gone.” How true. 40 years of wandering will precede their deaths, but there’s nothing left but to bury a generation who lost sight of God’s vision for their lives.

We all have regrets and for many of us our dreams have been dashed. Paul tells us to “forget the past” and then “focus on what lies ahead.” It’s not over for any of us.  I love this story about not looking back: On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within 2 months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On August 7, 1954, the two met together for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. It looked as if he would win, but as he neared the finish he was haunted by the question, “Where is Bannister?” As he turned to look, Bannister took the lead. Landy later told a Time magazine reporter, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won!”