Windshields and Rearview Mirrors

25 January 2023

I agree with the adage that healthy people spend more time looking forward through their windshields than looking back in their rearview mirrors. One of my favorite passages is when the Easter angel tells the women that Jesus is up ahead of them in Galilee. As people of faith, we are always moving forward trusting that God is calling us into new days of adventure and opportunity.

Yet . . . taking just a moment to count God’s faithfulness in the past is propellant for the future. The 10 lepers that Jesus healed were pumped about their new future. So excited, however, that 9 of them forgot to tell Jesus thanks for what had occurred. In not connecting with Jesus further, they might have missed out on even greater gifts for their days ahead. So, at our congregational meeting on Sunday, as we discussed to the future, we paused a few moments to thank God for blessing us so richly in 2022.

Upon request from many, here’s one more chance to watch a short vivacious highlight reel providing just a taste of how God shared joy and life through our COS faith family in 2022:

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, your Word calls us to be people of both windshields and rearview mirrors. Because we see an empty tomb in our history, we can surely look forward to Jesus calling us into a bright future, regardless of any anxiety or fear we might feel. Help us be grateful for the blessings we’ve received yesterday and free of any guilt or burden regarding past brokenness, knowing that as Alpha and Omega, in your forgiveness and freedom you call us to move ahead with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Question for reflection: When is it healthy to look in your rearview mirror of life and when is it not?