Don’t look in the rear view mirror

I got behind a female driver one time and I noticed she was jabbering on a cell phone and simultaneously could not take her eyes off her rear view mirror and was looking me right in the eyes. BAM she slammed into the car ahead of her. I barely avoided crashing my own car into her as I skidded to a stop inches from her rear bumper. This event reminded me of something a preacher said the other day that too many people spend their time looking in the rear view mirror of their life and not looking ahead.

Similarly to driving a vehicle and looking in the rear view mirror, (instead of looking at the road ahead of you), can crash your car, looking in the rear view mirror of your life instead of looking at today or the future can crash your life.

So what if your parents weren’t perfect. So what if your husband left you for someone else. So what if your “friend” lied about you. So what if you did not make the football team or cheer-leading squad. It is all in the past and nothing can ever change the past. All that brooding about it will accomplish is negative and no positive outcome will be forthcoming; instead it can sour you on life and poison the rest of your life providing you allow it to do so.

Quit dwelling on the past and move on.

I have had my own problems with this and I have learned that today and tomorrow can be as bright as we make them. Bad stuff happens to good people right along with the bad people; it rains on the righteous just like it does on the wicked. Accept it and don’t whine about it, because no-one wants to hear it and it serves no useful purpose.

Take all of your lessons-learned and spend your energy on making today the best day of your life. Utilize all of your lessons-learned. If your parents were “bad” parents then become a “good” parent yourself. Don’t sit around whining about “poor little old me” and driving everyone crazy with your self-pity. God did not create us to be whiners and self-pity professionals; ask for His help in focusing on today and tomorrow and bury the past along with the rest of the dead.

Phil. 4:5
The Lord is near, Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.