P. Pilgrim
Do you ever feel like your life is going backwards. You don’t seem to be achieving the results you wished for. People younger than you are receiving the promotions in work before you, and even in your free time activities you are preforming poorly. Sometimes life throws us curve balls that change or distract us from where we thought we would be and it appears that we are moving backwards instead of forwards. Recently I heard about a 4 by 4 military vehicle that could travel as quickly backwards as it could forward. It was developed in the late 1940s by the British Austin car company after the 2nd World War to replace the aging American-built jeeps and other utility vehicles in use at the time. The primary objective was to create a general-purpose vehicle with exceptional off-road capabilities, which would be robust, versatile, and suitable for use in a range of challenging environments, designed specifically for British and Commonwealth military use to reduce dependency on foreign-manufactured vehicles. The Champ as it was called, was powered by a 2.8 litre, four-cylinder, Rolls-Royce B40 petrol engine, which provided adequate power and torque for its size. The engine was mated to a five-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox, with a two-speed transfer case that offered both high and low-range gears. This combination allowed the vehicle to achieve solid off-road performance and a top speed of approximately 65 mph (105 km/h) on-road. Interestingly the vehicle had a combined transfer box and differential assembly in the rear with a reverse gear, which allowed the 5-speeds of the gearbox to be used in both the forward and backward direction when in two-wheel drive mode. Thus, allowing the vehicle to travel as fast backward as forward using the same gearbox, a very unique and distinctive experience. Ultimately the far less expensive Land Rover Series 1 would come along in the late 1940s and offer an excellent and far cheaper home-grown alternative to the Champ, even though around 13,000 were built the Champ went out of production in 1956.
In the Bible a backward step or a look backward, usually speaks of catastrophe and calamity, of leaving truth and following after folly. Consider the words of the prophet Isaiah in the book of Isaiah chapter 59 verse 14 , “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” It states that turning backward is turning away from true and honest judgment. Truth and justice are left while falsehood and injustice are accepted. Turning back is to regress from the truth, it is unprogressive and detrimental. Moreover, the apostle Paul states in the book of Philippians chapter 3 verse 13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul is saying that the Christian walk is to be a forward walk, a constant moving forward. Characterized by learning more truths about God concerning his life and his work. A vehicle that can move backwards incredible fast maybe exciting, but it is not as important as a life of moving forward in the knowledge and peace of God. Knowing you have forgiveness of sins is peace, knowing that God loves you is joy unspeakable. What is your life? Is it moving forward or going backwards?
