Rearview Mirror
By Susan Klein
“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.”
Whenever I get into my car after my husband has driven it, I
need to adjust the rearview mirror. He has 9 inches on me in height, so our
vision fields are not quite the same. The earliest of cars were not even
equipped with rearview mirrors. Thus, people could only focus on the road
ahead, not behind. In her 1909 book, The
Woman and the Car, British racing driver
Dorothy Levitt noted that women should "carry a little hand-mirror in
a convenient place when driving" so they may "hold the mirror aloft
from time to time in order to see behind while driving in traffic". [1] Yikes!
We all glance at our rearview mirrors from time to time, partly
out of habit, but mostly to be safe. Yet, how much time are we spending looking
behind us in life? Some might gaze forlornly into the mirrors of their past,
weighed down by former sin and struggles that continue to grip them. The enemy
would like nothing better than to keep us backwardly focused. That way, we
might not see the forgiveness and love that God so freely holds out in front of
us. On the other end of the spectrum, some haphazardly race on ahead into their
futures. Completely forgetting about, and not always learning from, what
happened in their past.
Many times in the Old Testament, we hear God telling the
Israelites to remember what He has done for them. How He has delivered them and
continues to provide for them. Likewise, in the New Testament we often hear
Paul, Jesus and others admonishing people to remember what happened with their
forefathers - - to learn from their errors and trust God. Our personal rearview
mirrors not only provide a reminder of past mistakes, but all the good God has
done as well. We need not look back mournfully.
Keep in mind that there is a reason why the standard rearview
mirror is only about 9 inches wide, and a standard windshield is five or six
times that amount. While we are to check our small mirror periodically, the
majority of our time should be focused on the big window (of what God is doing)
immediately ahead of us.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Might you have a foggy mirror or a dirty windshield that needs
cleaning so you can see better?
2. How can you use your personal rearview mirror to aide you in
moving forward?
FURTHER READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and has two adult
children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and tutoring with the
Literacy Council. She is a member of the Peace Team at Oakwood and also co-leads
a small group.
