I stared at the message I got on my phone a few days ago:
Yep. I laughed right out loud. I’ve sensed Jesus’ speaking to me in lots of ways, but never via text.
“Hello this is Jesus…”
My hope that this was a message sent straight from heaven was short lived when I stopped to realize:
- Jesus would be more careful about punctuation and run-on sentences than that.
- Jesus is always right on time.
- Just days earlier, a man named Jesus (as in “Hey, Seuss!”) had accidentally broken the outside mirror of our car and was going to come by and fix it.
So, no. I didn’t get an electronic message from on high.
BUT…
It did make me think.
How many times has Jesus asked to fix the “mirrors” in my life because they were a little wonky?
How many times has He had to remind me how to use those life mirrors the right way?
The mirrors on our cars are intended for our safety. They show us what’s behind us. What’s all around us on either side. If used correctly, they have the potential to save our lives and keep us moving ahead. Yay, mirrors!
But what if we used only our mirrors to drive? What if we did nothing but look back and to the sides as we drove down the road. Absurd, right? The mirrors are there for reference. Glancing. But the windshield that shows us the road ahead should be our primary focus. If you’re not looking ahead when driving you’re either going to go nowhere fast or end up in a world of hurt.
Sounds so simplistic when we’re talking about driving.
But what about life?
That rear view mirror can be a huge problem if our perspective is off. If we just stare at the reflection of our past. Things like guilt, shame, regret and poor choices can flash like headlights in that rear view mirror of introspection. If we’re not careful, we can panic and either let that monster truck behind us take us down or speed through life to try and run away from it. Neither option is a good one.
That rear view mirror is for our protection, remember? Reminders of our past should only serve to keep us moving forward without making the same mistake again. Every memory can be used to glimpse a little clearer picture of the amazing-ness of grace. I’m forgiven. I’m free to move forward. The image of my past behind me is just that. Behind me.
In Acts chapter 22, Paul references his past. It wasn’t pretty. His adult life had been spent torturing and killing Christians. But God transformed his life, turning it upside down and inside out. He became the prominent Christian leader, writer and mentor that we know and love today, 2,000 years later.
Paul referenced His past to show the power of grace and forgiveness. The beauty of transformation. The miracle of a life changed by the power of Jesus.
Paul glanced, but didn’t stare in that rear-view mirror.
And what about those side mirrors that show us what’s all around us in life? Circumstances, stressors, difficulties, things that are coming into our space beyond our control – are only reminders of how important it is to look ahead and keep moving forward, remembering our destination.
Our tendency can be to get distracted by what we see in these side mirrors. It doesn’t help when we read the message “objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”
We can become overwhelmed by an us-versus-them mentality and feel completely outnumbered by our circumstances. We fight the desire to just pull over in life and stop driving at all.
After Paul’s conversion, he could easily have quit it all if he had only looked at his side mirrors. He was imprisonment.for his newfound faith. Beaten. Eventually killed. But look at his focus in spite of his circumstances:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind (his past) and straining toward what is ahead (his future), I press on toward the goal to win the prizefor which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
We were never meant to drive while staring at any of our mirrors. Not our pasts, not our present circumstances.
We were meant to gaze forward. There is that huge window in front of us! That windshield of perspective that gives us a perfect view of the road ahead, marked with road signs of beauty. Hope. Joy. Peace. Unrelenting Love. The future!
We need to be aware of my past. Aware of our present circumstances. But our focus should be on our future. That wonderful thing that Jesus promises when He offers that “abundant life.” (John 10:10).
Jesus (as in “Hey, Seuss”) did a great job on the mirror of our car, of getting it fixed and adjusted to what it was intended to do.
But Jesus did an even better job of changing the way I look at and use the mirrors of my life.
How about you?
– Is there anything distracting you from your past or present situation that is preventing you from focusing and moving forward?
– Have you taken Jesus seriously when He said that you’re forgiven? That your past is behind you?
– Are you overwhelmed by you present circumstances? Do you feel paralyzed in fear or exhaustion by the things that surround you?
– Will you respond when Jesus asks if he can help you adjust or fix your mirrors so that you can keep moving forward?
