Looking in the Rearview Mirror
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
(Heb 12:2 NIV)
When I was a young boy my family would always make a Summer trip out of
state to visit my Grandma and Aunt. It was a long drive over curvy,
mountainous roads. It often took up to eight hours to get there. This was
before the age of i-pods and DVD players too. My Dad didn’t care much for
the rock music the radio stations played in the nineteen seventies either,
so the trip was a quiet one. Stuffed in the back seat of the family sedan
with my two brothers, I only had one thing that I could do and that was look
out the window.
A window seat was best for scenery watching, but being the youngest and the
smallest I was always stuck in the middle. That left gazing over my
brothers’ shoulders or looking through the rearview mirror at what we had
just passed. The second option, however, could never be done for long. With
mountain roads I never knew when the next curve was coming up and if what I
was looking at didn’t match what my body was feeling then I was carsick in
minutes.
After a few times of my stomach turning flip flops I learned my lesson and
kept my eyes on the road ahead. That way I could gaze in wonder at the
golden light of the sun shining down on the green leafs of the trees as we
drove by them. That way I could enjoy seeing the deer peacefully eating
grass along the side of the road. That way I could delight in what was
coming next instead of being sick over what was already left behind.
Those long trips taught me that you can’t live your life always looking in
the rearview mirror. If you want to enjoy the beautiful moments of today
then you have to see them as they happen. God doesn’t want us to live in the
past. He wants us to embrace the joy that each new day brings. He wants us
to realize the preciousness of every second and use them all to love Him,
ourselves, and others. Keep your eyes on the road ahead then and trust God
to lead you Home.
By: Joseph J. Mazzella