The Windshield Not The Rear View

Scripture Text: Acts 7:1-32

Stephen was clear about the past. Not only the past in his own life but the past of the people of God. With great detail Stephen tells the story about how God has guided the people and the leaders along the way who God used. We also know Stephen was not stuck in the past that he knew so well.

Often times we live our lives based more on what we see in the rear view mirror than what we see looking out the windshield. We know our past in detail and we get focused on the past. Looking back we can see days of great accomplishment, we can also see days of great pain. One thing is for certain, when we look back we see the circumstances that helped develop us to be who we are. We do not see the person we currently are, or the person we are becoming.

Our past informs who we are. No matter what our past holds it does not hold us any longer. A healthy life spends more time looking ahead rather than behind. Looking only in the review mirror of life will result in not moving at all, or a crash. It is amazing how crash after crash we continue to look through the rear view more than the windshield.

Each person's past in a marriage has significant implications for the present relationship. We must be clear about our past as individuals and as a couple. The events which lead up to this moment are critical in our formation, however they will not move us toward the future.

We cannot ignore the past, yet we cannot be defined by it. Nor can we spend all our time trying to relive or correct the past. A healthy marriage cannot be lived through the rear view mirror. An occasional glance to remind us what is behind is important. Still our primary focus is straight ahead to where we are going. No matter what the road of the past has looked like, there is a glorious future when we keep focused on the One leading us, that is Christ Jesus.