Tag: looking back

Posted in Family, gratitude, life, pride, school days, Scripture, thankful

Live Forward, Glance Back

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead…” Philippians 3:13

There’s a reason it is smaller.  I like cars.  I love cars. From my first car, a worn out, rusted out, 1962 Rambler, to what I drive today…cars have held a special place in my life.  That old Rambler may have been akin to the “Ramblin’ wreck from Georgia Tech” but it was mine…the result of a trade–he got a slot car track and I got a car. I was 16 or 17 and I thought I was on top of the world.  Through the years I have had many different cars.  Some were new (oh, how I love that smell) and more were used, but each one was my baby.  I try and take care of all of our family vehicles, but mine always gets the best care. Don’t even think about eating in it. Grandkids are required to take a bath before getting in it.  Even Judy requires a permission slip to drive it.

As different as these cars have been, there are a few things that they have in common.  They all had an engine.  The Rambler had a straight line six with a rod knocking but hey, it ran…for a while.  My first new car was a 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle.  It had an engine too…but in the back.  Trust me that was revolutionary in those days.  Then there was the 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser.  It had an engine—a diesel.  I didn’t know a thing about diesels.  Imagine my surprise when I looked for the spark plugs and found out it didn’t have any! Speaking of diesels, Judy and I drive a diesel Volkswagen these days to the tune of about 42 miles per gallon.  So I’ve returned to my roots. 

Oh, and all those cars had tires, four of them.  They had seats—most had seating for five, but some had more.  Our mini-vans could seat seven and that Cutlass Cruiser could seat eight. All had heating and most had air conditioning. Like I said, they had a lot of things in common.  And they all had a mirror.  They had one or two sideview mirrors and then there was one that hung inside right in the middle of the windshield.  It allowed me to see what was behind, and as you know that is important. But there is one more thing that they had in common. They all had a windshield.

In the real old days, cars didn’t have windshields.  You wore goggles and just picked the bugs out of your teeth.  But somewhere along the way someone figured out that there had to be a better way and the windshield was born.  The windshield allows you to see where you are going and what is coming at you.  It is big because it is important.  Have you ever thought about this—the thing that allows you to see the future is a whole lot bigger than the thing that allows you to see the past.  Hmmm. I bet that is no accident. No one can deny the fact that we need to look behind, it’s just that looking forward is much more important.

So, here’s the question.  As you are “driving” along life’s road, which is bigger, your windshield or your rearview mirror?  I know many folks spend more time looking back than looking forward and that can lead to a pretty hair-raising ride.  You see the rearview mirror in your car is not designed to be the primary place you look.  It is designed for an occasional glance.  Well, that is true in life.  The rearview mirror in our life is there, it is designed, to glance back.  We savor the good times and smile as we remember them.  We wince at some of the more unwise decisions but remember the lessons we learned.  Yup…it is profitable until it is all that we look at.

Living with our eyes glued to the rearview mirror of life is a dangerous thing.  If we live staring at all the past good days, we will soon become discontent with the present.  If we live staring at all the past failures and flops, we will soon become discouraged and depressed. It’s just what happens when we stare at the past and ignore the present and future. Paul, in the Bible, gives us some great advice.  He admitted that while he hadn’t figured it all out, he had learned one thing.  He said we should leave the past in the past and reach out for the future. And trust me…that is really, good advice.

A guy named Brian Simmons says, “The time before us is not one of gloom and doom; it will be instead the best and most adventurous time of our lives. The best for God’s people lies not in the past, buried in Scripture somewhere. It’s yet to come. Let’s not allow fear to defeat us.” Right on Brian, Right on.  Remember, don’t fear the future just because it is unknown.  You see, there is a God who knows the future and in fact, in a way we can’t understand…He’s already there. So, settle back, rest in Him and enjoy the drive. Go ahead…set the cruise…He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne

Posted in Family, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, Scripture, sovereignty of God, thankful, Trials

So Long… Not Gonna Miss You

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:41

She was waving goodbye…and I was glad. We all know there is a reason why the windshield is the largest window in a car.  It is very important that we can see clearly where we are heading…where we are going.  I also suppose that we understand that the side windows are also important…if not for navigation, at least for pleasure.  They allow us to look around as we journey.  The second largest window in the car is the rear window but without another important item…well, the rear window is rendered almost useless.

That important item is the rearview mirror.  It allows us, at a glance, to see what is behind us.  We get to see if another driver is impatiently following us…too closely. We can tell if they are too close by reading their expression.  If you can see their scowl, then you are right…they are too close.  Another thing the rearview mirror allows us to do is see what or if someone is chasing us.  Imagine with me that you are driving down the road doing, let’s say, 69 in a 55 mph zone or about 14 miles per hour over the speed limit.  That is probably enough to get you into trouble with whatever law enforcement is in the area.

As you top a hill or round a curve you see a police vehicle hiding or prominently sitting beside the road.  It doesn’t matter because, well, it is too late. You pass by their vehicle trying to decide whether to hit the brakes, knowing that your brake lights will be an admission of guilt, or maybe just coast.  Almost immediately, your rearview mirror becomes very important.  You want to know if they are coming…to see if they are chasing you. Gulp. Well, like the songs says, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, big time Charlie’s got the blues.”

Of course, the other purpose of the rearview mirror is to see what you just left.  If it is family, you might look as they are waving goodbye.  Perhaps, it might be the other side of a big, and I mean big, traffic jam you just came through.  You look back and sigh or smile and are grateful it is behind you.  Boy, do I know about that one.  I also know the pleasure of looking in the rearview mirror of life as a less than pleasant situation slowly fades away.  My most recent pleasurable goodbye was as I watched Corena waving and fading away.  Oh, and if you don’t know who Corena is, check out gritswithgrace.com and search for her…trust me…she is there.

Whether it is a traffic jam or an illness or something else, it is always a good thing when something difficult finally fades away in the rearview mirror of life.  What you thought would never end…does…and you are grateful.  One of the most valuable life lessons we can learn is that things don’t come to stay…they come to pass.  Several times in the Bible, the writer will use the term, “And it came to pass” and it means that when the time was right, things moved on.  Someone once said, “My favorite verse in the Bible is, “And it came to pass…”

One source said that the Bible repeats that phrase 396 times. One of my favorites is Exodus 12:41. It says, “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”  Whew.  That is one long traffic jam.

“It came to pass.” I like that. While it may not be my favorite verse, I am very grateful that it is true…things don’t come to stay…they come to pass. That pesky traffic jam will soon fade.  That dance with Corena, “Sorry ma’am, the music has stopped.”  And here is just one more bit of really, good news.  When we choose to make Creator God our Father, well, we have the confident assurance that He will be there with us through the whole thing…even if that means stepping into heaven.  Regardless, take it to the bank, He’s got this.  Bro. Dewayne