Ever try driving forward by only looking in the rear view mirror?  Ever try living your life by only looking back at what’s already happened?

Driving across country early, early one morning, I saw a most beautiful site in my rear view mirror.  It was the sunrise.  A most glorious and bright sunrise.  It’s always cool to me to see the sun burst over the horizon.  Getting to see those first few rays followed quickly by a full sun shining is something that never grows old to me.  In this particular instance, there was darkness, then a shade of pink.  A beautiful dance followed with the clouds swirling by sharing their purples and reds.  Anticipating that first bright ray of sunshine, I drove the next couple of miles while basically looking only in my rear view mirror.

Then there it was.  A sunrise!  Good morning Lord!  I’ve been driving a few hours in the dark, kinda getting sleepy.  The light wakes me up and gets me in the mood to drive for several more hours.  But I won’t be looking in the rear view mirror anymore.  I’m looking ahead.  Looking ahead so I won’t hit anything for sure, but looking ahead so that I won’t miss anything either.  That light that’s behind me (and got my back) is shining the way forward for me now.

Philippians 3:14  GWT  I run (press on) toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

I want more out of this life.  More out of my work, my play, my marriage, my family, ….more out of  myself.  Not a greedy kind of more.  But I want more of what God has promised.  He promised abundant life.  That doesn’t mean a fancy car and lots of money.  Doesn’t necessarily mean a life free of hard times and no painful experiences.  No, God’s heavenly call means believing in Jesus.  Believing in a God who is behind you (and has got your back).  This belief and way of life gives us a true way to PRESS ON and continue our spiritual journeys.

There are many times that you and I want to look back in time and basically live in the past.  Times spent with friends and family members, times to be cherished, good times in the past.  Yep, even the “good ole days” all seem so much “gooder”, and “better” than what we are living in and with now.

But there is that promise from God that drives me forward.  His light shines the way for me.  I know lots of time in religious talk it’s said to “keep your eyes on God”.  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”.  I get that. Stay focused on Him.  Don’t we tend to try to stay focused on Him by “looking in the rear view mirror”?  We start thinking, “God, why can’t it be like it was or used to be?”

Nope, let’s press on.  Continue on your journey my friends.  Know this.  Even in the darkest of nights, that sun is about to rise over the horizon.  Sure, it is a glorious site to see the sunrise in your rear view.  But even more is to be seen by looking ahead and seeing what this light is showing you as you go forward.  Knowing that God’s Son is behind me (and got my back) is a belief that inspires me to press on.  It’s a heavenly calling that you and I can receive even while still in this earthly human body.  A relationship between little ole you and a Most Awesome God……….and you thought a sunrise was a thing of beauty.  Who’s got your back???

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher and driving to the song “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Tom Petty