The Rearview Mirror

On my drivers license I have a 'B' in the restriction column. When I flip the license over, the explanation given for this restriction is that I am required to have a outside rearview mirror. The restriction is probably due to me being legally blind in my right eye. I laugh about this particular restriction though because for the most part, the majority of vehicles made today have that required mirror.

When I get into my car in the morning, my first thought is not "I better check for an outside rearview mirror!" For that matter, I rarely even notice anything about the car except if it started or not when I turn the key in the ignition. When I drive down the road, my main focus is normally on what is going on in front of me and rarely what is behind me.

Do not get me wrong though, I do use the rearview mirror! It is just that I never really give the mirror that much of a second thought....that is...until today. Four months into the year 2009 and I finally sat down to think about the past year. The events that unfolded. There was moments of excitement, moments of tears, times of pain, yet many positives.

I sat down to look into life's rearview mirror to glance at what was behind me. In a nutshell, 2008 was a year of awakening. It was the year I felt I had finally arrived at a new horizon in my ministry. It was a year of drawing closer to my wife and kids. It was a year of many exciting journeys. It was also sadly a year in which I felt like a knife had been driven in my back by people I placed much trust in. It was a time in which people I called friend for so many years, were in reality, not friends at all. I was tossed carelessly to the side of the road to die, or so I felt.

To say today that it did not hurt would be a lie. It hurt and it hurt badly. I felt like the very thing that God had given to me, man was trying to destroy. I was to the point of almost being convinced that they were right. I wanted to just give up though I knew that giving up was exactly what the enemy wanted me to do.

Thru it all I had friends that were real and genuine, come to my aid. I had a wife and kids, who were also hurt by the same people, hold me up in the time of need. I was being ministered to by God thru people who probably did not even realize they were being used in such a way.

I looked in the rearview mirror today and saw the happiness, joy, pride, yet even the anger, disappointment, hurt and pain of 2008. I learned that the people who tried to destroy me are all behind me now. Even the many fun moments, and bright spots of life in 2008 are behind me. I learned that while the objects in the mirror might be closer than they appear, they are still behind me. I can learn from them, I can build on the experiences and I can even steer away from them if necessary, yet, those things which occured in 2008 will always be behind me.

The rearview mirror of life is there for a reason. It lets you reflect on the things behind you but all the while knowing that your focus should be on that which is in front of you. If one was to drive with just using the rearview mirror as a guide, they will soon wreck. The mirror might help you drive backwards but driving backwards on a road is not only dangerous but illegal. Driving backwards also brings you back to areas that you might otherwise not want to be at again. Those roads have already been traveled. The accidents have been avoided or have occured, the potholes missed, the lesson learned...put the car in drive, look out the windshield and proceed forward!

Take the lesson from the roads you traveled and use those lessons as you proceed down the road of life in front of you. Sometimes those lessons teach you that you were on the wrong road to begin with. Maybe it reaffirms that you are indeed on the right road. Other times it alerts you to adjust your course. Even then, those lessons also help mold you and shape you to become a better driver. They help you to be more alert to the signs in front of you.

I looked in the rearview mirror of 2008 today and reflected. I also looked to that which is in front of me and smiled. God has great things in store as long as I follow the law of His road. He has many great things in store for you as well, if you follow the signs. Those potholes, speed traps, potential accidents that the enemy placed in your way, were meant for harm, but God allows you to reflect on them in your mirror and use them for good.

Enjoy your drive but remember, the focus is on the road in front of you!