Looking in the Rear-View Mirror
December 29, 2022 by Charlotte Riegel
Filed under Daily Devotions
By Charlotte Riegel –
Have you noticed the rear-view mirror in vehicles is much smaller than the windshield? It has a purpose but is not as important to our movement as the very much larger window we look through while driving forward.
A good driver will frequently do a quick check in the rear-view mirror to note if anything is approaching from behind that needs attention. However, focusing on what is behind is very detrimental to the safety of the vehicle being driven and its passengers; unless one is backing up, in which case focusing on what is behind is definitely necessary. Elementary information to anyone who has a legitimate driver’s license.
And what about our lives as we move forward? Focusing on what is past may cause us to crash into what lies ahead. Yes, we need to look back to the years behind for quick reference points and sometimes to regain our bearings for where we are going. However, just like driving a vehicle, it is dangerous to focus on what has already past in our lives.
Yes, there are exceptions. Sometimes we’ve taken a wrong turn and it’s necessary to ‘go back’. In these instances we make a U-turn and are once again looking forward to go back in order to make a life correction. Unless the correction is a very short distance back we will not be using the rear-view mirror to go back. Maybe we have forgotten something at the last stop and need to return to pick it up. This is not an exhaustive list but I trust you will understand the message. Focusing on the rear-view mirror will not help you successfully move forward in life.
“I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above” (Philippians 3:12-14 GNT).
“If you want to drive ahead, look through the windscreen and drive, not through the rear-view mirror!” rajuda
Charlotte Riegel is a freelance writer recently moved from a large metropolitan city to a wee rural community in Western Canada. Some call it retirement. She calls it 're-tire' ment as she explores new avenues of written and visual expression while assisting her husband in establishing a business in the tourist industry.