Windshields and Rear View Mirrors

 

Windshields and Rear View Mirrors

Mary Ann Wray

 

 

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 13 & 14 (Context Philippians 3: 10-16)

It's probably safe to say that the windshield of an automobile is 100 times bigger than the rear-view mirror. Why? It's a no brainer right? Obviously, you can’t safely drive a vehicle by only looking back through a narrow mirror. The windshield provides a much broader view. We only use the rear view mirror to catch brief glimpses of what’s behind us. The side view mirrors help us see what’s on either side of us so we can stay in our lane and avoid being sideswiped.

Those rear-view and side view glimpses are for our safety. We can apply this analogy to our faith journey. Glimpses of the past remind us of the pitfalls we could have avoided but didn’t for whatever reason. Perhaps we became too distracted with earthly matters and got our eyes of Jesus long enough to slide into a ditch. Perhaps we were following the wrong leader and found out that doctrinally, what they were teaching was in error and caused us to veer off in the wrong direction spiritually causing us confusion and pain. Maybe we were overly crowded on the highway of life with too many cares of this world and got stuck in the traffic. Perhaps we became disoriented as to which direction we should be headed in life because we lost our satellite connection to Heaven without realizing why. There could have also been careless drivers that cut us off or caused us damage and personal injuries. It's probable that some of those injurious potholes and events could’ve been avoided, if we had been paying better attention. Most likely, times of vehicle failure came when we neglected to keep our car aligned, tuned up and road ready. Other times, circumstances beyond our control may have caused us to hydroplane and lose temporary control, hitting an embankment such as an unexpected loss, or illness.

Regardless of past mistakes and mishaps, and other reasons for veering off course, one thing is for certain; we cannot correct what lies behind us. However, we can use them as driving lessons for the future as much as possible. All vehicles come with a driver’s manual in the glove box. That’s where God‘s word becomes vitally important. How many mechanical failures could we have avoided if we had been more familiar with the operating instructions and followed directions; not to mention the fact we have a GPS handy on our phone or automobile? The Holy Spirit is always present to guide us on the path of life when we pay attention as an internal GPS.

The good news is that mechanical failures or mishaps don’t mean we have to permanently stop our journey. Each day is a new day with Christ. He gives us the opportunity to keep moving forward by the “horsepower” of the Holy Spirit called grace. Just like the song implores, "Jesus take the wheel,"  Jesus needs to take the wheel of our heart. He needs to be in the driver's seat with us. We are only the copilot. When we relinquish control to Him, the ride becomes much more hazard free and the journey more enjoyable. With a pilot like Christ at the wheel, we have a sense of security. We can enjoy constant fellowship with him no matter what the weather conditions may be, breakdowns and roadblock that may occur or unseen ditches we may slide into. We can be certain that we will reach the final destination He promised us. No matter what detours, roadblocks, and pitfalls lie ahead, Jesus will get us to where we need to go. His love and grace will keep us moving forward so we don’t have to keep looking back.

Mary Ann Wray