Is Your Rear-View Mirror Overused?
Ever hear these words: “Don’t keep looking in the rear-view mirror”? What they mean is “Stop looking at the past and the mistakes you made.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, old things are passed away and all things have become new!” That’s good! But, sometimes looking back reminds us of how far we’ve come!
As I sat eating a couple of chocolates from a box that hold but a few remaining, I started thinking about how unhealthy it was. Then I started thinking about my age and my mother’s age when she had her first heart attack. I think I am that age. So, of course, the chocolates and the salty chips I ate earlier made me recoil! But, first, let me ask God for forgiveness for letting my mind think such negative thoughts.
I have a box of photo memories of my daddy who passed at age 64, a husband who passed at age 63, and a mother who lived to be 94 and mother-in-law who lived to be two-weeks shy of 100. What in the world has gotten into me with thinking about the past and how my life can be compared to others?
I have a big tub of memories from high school. I kept every love letter that my boyfriend sent me. I have my old report cards and even letters from employers that gave me glowing referrals. If I’m honest, I love the nostalgia that comes from looking back at where we started…..and ended.
Looking back at where we’ve been is fun and exciting, until we get to the hard stuff. If we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t mind looking back on pictures from weddings, births, and high school graduations — but we don’t dare look back at other times in our lives. We all have seasons we wish we could put into a vault, throw away the key, and never think about again.
Maybe looking back at the past includes an eating disorder, an abusive past, a season of extreme yelling from your parents or at your kids, or infidelity in your marriage. I wish I could erase from my memory bank when we struggled financially.
But today, after a lifetime of ups and downs, sick and tired and happy and strong, I’ve learned something important about looking at the past. Rather than seeing myself one who made oh-so-many mistakes, I see myself as a human who can’t help but make mistakes. And instead of seeing a disappointed God who wishes He’d never created me, I know my Heavenly Father looks at me and sees a child He loves, adores, and sent His Son to die for.
When we look at our past through the lens of the Gospel, everything changes. When we look back and see Jesus rescuing us, we can speak about our failures and blunders. That’s when we get to point those around us to the God who loves us so much that He would choose to save us — even with the full knowledge of all the mistakes we would make. This is when we get to show the world that we are a redeemed people! Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble.”
Looking back at memories shows us the whole story that led to the person we are today. When we see how far God has brought us and how He lavishly loves and continues to mold us to look more like Him, we can proclaim His goodness to a world of people longing to be loved despite themselves.
God’s love is so extravagant. May we remember where He has brought us so that we can continue to proclaim His goodness to the world around us. His love changed our lives and continues to change our lives. We want to shout that truth from the rooftops for all to hear. Why don’t we start now?