Jesus in the Rearview

I recently came across a picture on Instagram that got me thinking. I loved it. And then I didn’t. It was a picture of a sunset in rearview mirror and written over the sunset was the word “SHAME”. The idea was to keep negative things such as guilt, shame, etc. behind us and to move forward without distraction. As someone who once allowed the guilt and shame of past continually resurface, I really do love the idea of leaving it behind! But, the more I thought about the image, the more I thought about an alternate perspective.

Check Your Mirrors

I remember Drivers Ed like it was yesterday. So many things to remember. Remembering to signal and how soon. Checking the speedometer. Covering the brake through and intersection. “Check your mirrors” is something the instructor said with every click of seatbelt. Not only is checking our mirrors something we should do after entering a vehicle, but we are cautioned to check our mirrors every 5-8 seconds. As I considered this, I thought about how often I may be viewing my shame in the rearview mirrors of my mind throughout the day. One of the devil’s favorite tricks is to remind of us of our guilt to throw us off course. Sometimes the things we see pop up in the rearview mirror are the very things that have us pulling to the side of the road, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles, heart racing.

Road Rage

Just a couple of weeks ago, I found myself sitting alongside the road slightly dazed by the scene in my rearview mirror. I had mistakenly cut someone off who was in my blind spot. I felt terrible, waved in embarrassment, and floored it to get out of the driver’s way. Instead of forgiving my error, the driver decided to make me pay for what I had done (congratulations to him on never making a mistake, I guess!). He flew up behind me, getting closer and closer, until all I could see in the entire rearview mirror was the front end of his pickup. I went from feeling sorry, to annoyed, to scared. It didn’t matter whether I slowed down or sped up, the image in my mirror didn’t change. Finally I pulled off of the road and waited while he slowed and passed. I checked my mirrors and pulled onto the road feeling stupid.

Grace Enough

In his letter to the Philippians Paul says, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV) Notice, Paul briefly mentions the past, simply saying to forget what lies behind. Instead, he tells us to focus ahead, towards, and upward. Focusing on what’s ahead is hard to do if we’re checking our mirrors every 8 seconds waiting to see if our past is speeding up, trying to run us off the road. David writes in the Psalms that “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) Our shame, hurts, mistakes, and regrets can set with the sinking sun when we trust Jesus for forgiveness. We can look in the rearview mirror and rest knowing He has covered it all in His grace. I pray, friend, that as you go through this life, whenever you look back, you only see Jesus in the rearview.