12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 3:12-14
Straining toward is the picture of a race horse thundering forward, muscles tensed, marbled veins pulsing and bulging, nostrils flared wide, every ounce of energy hurtling toward the finish line.
Paul describes being energized with a passion for what ‘can be’—to make your life count.