My very first car accident taught me a valuable lesson about driving and about life – You cannot successfully move forward while continuously looking backward.
I vividly remember the day I wrecked my mom’s powder blue Cutlass Supreme. I begged her to allow me to drive the car to my job at a neighborhood department store, with the promise that I would be very careful. Unfortunately, I was still in that stage of life (teen years) when impressing my friends was very important to me. While cruising through the parking lot, I noticed a group of friends staring as I drove by, so I turned to smile and wave. I never saw the other car coming!
This is exactly what happens sometimes in our lives. Sometimes, we spend so much time looking back, focusing on past hurts, disappointments, setbacks, and even accomplishments that we never see the “crash” coming until the damage has been done. Many of our dreams and goals are never realized because we remain stuck in the “if I coulda, I woulda, I shoulda” traps of life.
Though “the rearview mirror” has a purpose, it should never consume our focus. The windshield is larger for a reason – our focus should be forward.
What changes have you been waiting for, hoping for, and praying for? Look ahead with expectation and optimism. Release every thought, disappointment, or regret that could be holding you back. Keep moving forward!
“Don’t look back. You’re not going that way!”
— Unknown
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,
but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past
and looking forward to what lies ahead…
Philippians 3:13 (NLT)
