Looking back

Can you imagine what it would be like if you drove everyday looking through the rear view mirror? You might catch a good glimpse of where you'd been, but you sure wouldn't have much luck getting to where you're going. In fact, a steady drive looking solely through the rear view mirror would inevitably bring you to collision.

We do that in life too. We can spend alot of time looking back in our lives. In fact, we can do that so much, that we lose sight entirely of where we are going. The more time we spend looking back, the more likely we are to stay stuck there. And sadly enough, we can get quite comfortable in the familiar of the past. Of course, there are times when looking back has its positives. Just this week, our family reminisced over old pictures. As we looked at our boys, we couldn't believe how little they had once been and how much they have grown. We felt so thankful to God for all that He had brought us through in times of difficulty. We also remembered that we had a lot of fun times together. Memories can be great. They have the power to affirm lives well lived and love well given.

But, on the flip side of that same rear view mirror watching are the things that we look back on that end up serving more as a discouragement in our lives. We can perch ourselves on decisions poorly made, relationships gone wrong, expectations that went unmet, or just plain old life handing us unpleasant and even very painful moments. That kind of mirror watching can leave us disabled or even completely paralyzed in how we live our lives.

We can "look back" in our lives by focusing on things that seem to be holding us back. I've done that with my back injury. "Why did this happen? When will I be able to get back to normal activities? Why do I have to wait? Why have I had to give up certain things? And of course, I could think, "What if...?" But, I choose not to go there - it just isn't going to take me in any positive direction. That's the road of worry. Worry won't add a single moment to my life. If anything, it will make my rear view mirror even larger than it needs to be, filled completely with "me" and not one bit with any thought of rest of the world out there. That's what rear view mirror watching does. It has a way of making us the focus and centre of our lives. We weren't meant to live that way. We were meant to be "other" centred.

There's nothing wrong with looking back for the sake of recollecting good memories. There's nothing wrong with looking back on not-so-good memories either, as long as we can learn from those times and use them as a springboard into the future. Our journey in life can't be taken looking back. It's taken one step at a time...walking forward, anticipating, hoping, trusting, believing that greater things are ahead.

Use your rear view mirror only as needed, for occasional direction. But, keep your eyes on the road ahead of you. The best is yet to come!

Rain...bows

After having lived in BC for almost 21 years, I still complain about the rain. I didn’t even officially own an umbrella until a few years ago. Even then, it seemed that I was living in denial when the rain came. I’d leave my umbrella in the closet – never to be used. What’s with that?

For me, rainy days seem to bring out any negative thoughts that are floating around in my mind. If there’s any lack of motivation to surface…surface it will on rainy days. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s the darkness of the clouds that veil the sunshine. Or maybe it’s the steady pour of water that feels like it takes away all possibility of leisure. (Although I have seen people walking and jogging in those downpours and it doesn’t seem to bother them – go figure!)

I have been known for making all kinds of excuses for not going out in the rain. Too cold, too wet, too dreary. According to whom? When I’m indoors, I catch myself saying, “What nasty weather, I can’t wait for it to be over!” Is it really that bad?

Then, I realize that God sometimes allows us to "feel" the weather of seasons for a reason. I've always seen rain as just that....plain ol' rain...wet, cold, dark clouds, limiting....kind of depressing. Here's how I think God sees it. Showers of mercy and grace, hope, cleansing, new life. Ok, so that's why BC is so green! I think that we need the rain to be reminded that God showers us with His constant love, mercy and grace every single day. He washes us off, giving us the opportunity to give Him our all - the struggles, the fears, the joys. But, what about the pouring part? God POURS His affections on us. Ok, the dark, ominous looking clouds? Well, I think that we may feel like we’re in the darkness, but we’re really all in the shadow of His hand. The cold? Maybe we’d be more inclined to “huddle up” with God if we actually felt the cold. His large embrace invites us into that warmth every single day. We just may not see it.

We may prefer the bright, warm intensity of the sun, but we need the rain too. We need to sit in the quite of an afternoon shower, with nothing to do. We need that stillness to “be” - with ourselves and with God. He so yearns for our time, our affections and our relationship. He blesses us when we give Him that undistracted time. That is pure sunshine! So, amidst the rainy days, there is sun in our lives. And when we combine the two, rain and sun, we get so much more. We get rainbows in our lives – bigger, brighter and more beautiful than we ever imagined!