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Don't Look in the Rear View Mirror for too Long!

May 2, 20183 min read
Learning to drive is one of the first big challenges of becoming a young adult. Drivers education classes and then…..road work. One of the first things the drivers ed. instructor teaches is how to use, check and adjust your mirrors.  Mirrors help us see vehicles approaching from the rear, the mirrors enable safe lane changes and you can see where you’ve come from. I had the opportunity to drive across country several years ago. I-40 from east coast to west coast. During my journey, I discovered that one of my favorite things to do was to look in the rear views while driving through long stretches of desert. The beauty was so intriguing to me. A different perspective from each mirror, all as wondrous and beautiful as the other. Quickly, I became a “drifter”. 
Drifting
(not the Fast and Furious kind) 
happens when distracted eyes wander from the front view looking backwards into the rear view mirrors. The natural tendency when you check your rear view mirrors with and extended looks is to pull left, into oncoming traffic or pull right, off the shoulder. Either way, if no correction is made, trouble awaits. Much of the time, catastrophic circumstances are the consequence.
O
vercorrection
. Overcorrection happens when you realize that you’re drifting. Sometimes, startled by the noise of your tires on the right side of your vehicle coming into contact with the uneven shoulder, or worse a pot hole that pulls you even further of the paved surface. Maybe even your  passenger’s response to the drift, or lights flashing and horns blowing from the opposing lane of traffic as you drift across the yellow line.
Missing your turn.
Missed turns create delays in the journey. Delays create frustration and tension, the turn around or re-routing.  Its always comforting to hear the GPS message 
‘reconfiguring your route’
 and thats when you know you’ve officially missed your turn.

Living Forward

  1. What’s behind is past. Looking back is alright in quick, short glances. There is way too much opportunity and future in front of us to navigate and adjust for on our journey. Perhaps some beautiful views or moments were missed behind us and thats alright. There are many more moments and beautiful views ahead. Besides, what we see in the rear view is only a slight reflection of what really is behind us.

  2. Remember with quick glances. Looking back helps us remember whats behind us. Dwelling on whats behind, extended look pondering glances,  cause “drifting”.  Remember, the good things, learn from the hard lessons and move forward with courageous hope and confidence. Too much future is still ahead, yet to be determined and defined.

  3. Smooth and easy.  Life is full of opportunities to make adjustments and corrections. In fact, if we are living to the fullest, we will become masters of adjustment and correction, second nature. Smooth and easy starts with a quiet soul and a sure hand. Don’t get rattled. Mistakes are opportunities for growing stronger and becoming a more confident man. Quiet souls, steady hands, strong man.

  4. Detours happen. They are a part of life so don’t get all twisted up and bent out of shape. Most of the time, we can find beauty in detours. They are a part of life and they for sure build character.

Published by Barry Edgemon

Blogger, writer, leader, pastor, and fatherless guy. Married to a great lady, Jenny, for 31 years. Together, we have three fantastic sons, Luke, Ben, and David (married to Gabbi). Luke lives and works in the music industry in Los Angeles, CA. David and Gabbi live and work in Seattle, WA, where David manages a Starbucks store. Ben attends college and works in Boone, NC. We recently entered into a new season in our life. We're empty-nesters, enjoying our pups, Buddy and Molly. Fatherseekers is a dream that has emerged out of 30 years of vocational and volunteer ministry. It's about reaching fatherless men and boys with help to understand the effect of fatherlessness. We offer guidance, hope, leadership and mentoring, and spiritual tools for life navigation. PURPOSE-IDENTITY-SONSHIP

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