My Rear-View Mirror

Romans 15:4 – For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (NIV)

Driving along the road, I glanced in the rear-view mirror just for a second, and when my eyes came back onto the road, I found myself drifting over into the next lane of traffic. With a quick manoeuvre, I was back on track.

How often we tend to look back to the past! Sometimes our past has been pleasant and rewarding, over smooth roads, and we look back and dwell on those times with nostalgia. On the other hand, our past could have been filled with suffering, grief, and loss, over rough roads in our lives, and we find it difficult to move on. Just as no one would think of driving while constantly looking in the rear-view mirror, we need to keep focused on what is happening in the present and near to us.

Philippians 3:13b-14 – But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

Whatever has been can't be changed, be it good or bad. But we can learn from it, and now with the past behind, with God's help, we can and must focus on the present and the future, discovering His way in the place He has chosen for us to be.

Prayer: Dear Lord, enable us to keep focused on what You have for us now. We pray that we will learn from the past and that we will be able to let go of it and focus on the present, looking forward to the future with hope. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.