Isaiah 43:18-19 AMP
“Do not remember the former things, Or ponder the things of the past.
“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
One of the most crippling conditions in life, which we all suffer from is the rear-view mirror syndrome, a.k.a. living or focusing on the past. We go through life with our subconscious minds looking constantly at the inbuilt rear-view mirror of life, through which we continuously relive and recreate the past.
Looking backwards is never good for anyone, especially if all it succeeds in doing is keep one living in the past of “what would have been, what-ifs and if only. God’s plans for us are according to Jeremiah 29:11 is so wonderful that all past events would be forgotten in comparison to what is ahead of us.
The reason why some are failing in life is that they are living in the past and are not obeying what the Bible says! They chose to focus on yesteryears.
Yesterdays are good to build on today and not always a guarantee for a better tomorrow. Our text says to forget what had happened and focus on what is about to.
Rear-view mirrors are good for backing up and seeing where you have been, but if you are looking back, you can’t see well to go forward. The Bible says in Philippians 3:13 to forget the things behind you, instead, you should be reaching forward!
Looking back always ends in going back according to Luke 9:62, saying anyone who puts his hand to the plough must keep looking forward to guiding the plough. If he looks back, the plough will quickly veer off course.
Just like Lot‘s wife who looked back and had no future mentioned in Luke 17:32. God‘s word to us in Exodus 14:15 is to keep moving forward. The Bible is the landmark that shows us if we are progressing or retrogressing. Looking in the rear-view mirror of life is a guarantee of retrogression.
We must learn how to let go of the past! Forgetting the past means you’re no longer influenced or affected by past events!
Some will say they’ve forgotten some incident that happened long ago, but they’re still affected and influenced by it because they won’t let it go! We keep hold of emotions, grudges and hursts that keep us looking behind, we keep our eyes peeled on the rear-view mirror and fail to see the great opportunities ahead of us.
The Lord has wonderful, beautiful, and miraculous plans for us, but they are only ahead of us not behind.
We miss out on the budding future in front of us when we focus on the fast and may collide with whatever is ahead of us. Our eyes are in front just for that, to look ahead to the future and allow the Lord as our rear-guard to watch our backs says Isaiah 52:12.
If we stop living in the past, we can begin to think and speak in agreement with God’s plan for us.
We mistakenly believe and live like who we were is who we are which limits our potential in the present, based on the limitations of our past.
If God can make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, He can make a way for you but only ahead not behind you. Stop focusing on the rear-view mirror, it only leads backwards.
Shalom