LOOK AHEAD, NOT BACK
Whoever invented the rear view mirror made a great contribution to driving. Without it we’d be hard pressed to know just what is best and safest at the moment. Rear view mirrors serve an important function. But the function is limited. Can you imagine someone trying to get to a destination while only looking in the review view mirror? They are good for an occasional glimpse now and then to make sure of your present position, but they aren’t made for permanent viewing!
Yet some people seem to live life always looking in the rear mirror of live. They are always thinking of the past. Their thoughts, energy and focus go to that which has been instead of that which is present.
God gave us memories for an important reason. He could have made us so we have no memory of past events, but He knows we would find pleasure in them as well as learn from them. Learning from the past helps us avoid the same mistakes in the present, gives us a better perspective on what we face, and helps us make sure our focus is correct. Like a rear view mirror, it has an important place in life. But we can’t move accurately through the present with our eyes on the past.
I miss the good times of when my children were young and in my home. I miss the laughter and fun, the challenges and blessings of raising children. My grandchildren live so far away I only see them a couple times a year. I miss being a part of their lives and it tempts me to look back to the past times with my children. But I must be careful to not spend too much time looking backward.
The present is what God has given me to live and I want to live it fully. I want to learn from the past and treasure its memories, but as more of my family life and ministry become part of my past, I still focus on each day and keep moving ahead. God has a perfect future planned for me, not just in heaven but in this life as well. I don’t want to miss any of it by looking in the rear view mirror. (July 10, 2017 Doyletown, PA)
Phil 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, 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.
Thank God for the good memories you have of the past, but don’t let them rob you from the present. It is in this day that God is present and working in your life. Enjoy it to the fullest, you won’t pass this way again.