Read:
Top Gun: Maverick follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a legendary fighter pilot who’s still flying decades after his glory days. The movie shows him facing high-stakes missions, training a new generation of pilots, and confronting the guilt, regrets, and losses from his past—especially the death of his best friend, Goose. Maverick is haunted by the choices he made and the people he couldn’t save, and it affects how he moves forward in life.
Maybe it’s not a fighter jet or a tragic mission, but we all carry things we can’t seem to let go of—mistakes, regrets, or seasons of pain that cling like shadows. The problem is that when we live in the rearview mirror, we miss the road ahead.
Just like Maverick had to return to the place that broke him in order to heal, we’re invited by God to confront our past—not to be crushed by it, but to be set free. Paul reminds us that freedom begins with focus. Not denial, not erasure, but a shift in perspective. Forgetting the past doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t happen; it means no longer letting it define or direct us. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the One who redeems every loss, restores every failure, and calls us forward with purpose.
You may still feel the weight of what was, but hear this: God is not finished with you. He sees beyond your stuck places. There’s a future with your name on it, and grace is what gets you there.
Pray: Jesus, thank you that your grace is bigger than my past. Help me trust that I am not disqualified by my mistakes. Show me how to move forward with faith, courage, and hope. Amen.