Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead... (Philippians 3.13 NRSV)
Some business people are now using the word, FEEDFORWARD. Think about that word for a moment: Feedforward, as opposed to the familiar word FEEDBACK. If you're running a business, feedback means when something goes wrong, you pick up the signal that all's not well, and you do something about it. You yell, you shout, you punish the "guilty" or whatever. The problem with feedback is it's always after the fact. You are being reactive instead of proactive. Why not try to anticipate rather than simply respond.

Watch a fast moving tennis match. The best players can't afford to wait until their opponent hits the ball to decide where they should be on the court. They have to anticipate where the ball will probably be hit, commit themselves to that part of the court, and be there. Or talk to an experienced fisherman; he'll tell you that chances of hooking a trout are far better if you see the fish coming at the dry fly, rather than waiting for the splash when the fish does hit it. Feedforward. Anticipation. Not always possible in tennis, trout fishing, business, or life, but better than feedback when you can do it.

Paul writes, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Paul lived in anticipation about what God was doing in his life and in the world.

Dear God, may I be a feedforward servant for your kingdom of love. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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