I started off this week finding humor in the art of Asian traffic and transportation. Little did I know, I was about to learn something vital from the driving habits I have been observing.
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:26
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
“DON’T LOOK BACK,” is the phrase drivers here live by. As I watch people weave in and out of traffic, I NEVER see anyone glance behind them to see if it is okay to pass. It seems to be the cardinal rule that, you are only responsible for what is in front of you! Most of the side mirrors on the motorbikes here are completely broken or non-existent, because they “DON’T LOOK BACK.” If they look back, in such a heavily populated area of traffic, they will definitely have a wreck with someone beside them or in front of them. This philosophy of driving works for them. If they are only looking forward, and only responsible for what is in front of them, then there is a ripple effect of people watching their back. When the person in front of you moves, you are responsible to react accordingly. By not looking back, each person is subconsciously taking care of/looking out for the person in front of them, because that is who their focus is on.
I can’t shake this phrase “DON’T LOOK BACK,” out of my heart and head. You probably already know where I am going with this so here it is:
“Don’t look back”. When driving in America, we do tend to look back, because we have a different style of driving. But
there is a reason our rearview mirror is so small in comparison
to our windshield. It is important to know where we came from,
or what we came out of, but we don’t need to FOCUS on the
past. We can’t change what is behind us, so why dwell there?
We can, however, change our FUTURE! It can be dangerous.
If we aren’t looking forward we will go off the road. If we stay
too long in our past we may stay there, and never move
forward. Sometimes we let our “rearview mirror” become to
large. On the other hand, our spiritual windshield can be huge
if we will let it grow! There are no limits to God-size dreaming. There is no limit to how fast we can move forward. There is no limit to where we can go, if we are looking forward. Our future and our hope is in JESUS CHRIST, so let’s keeep our eyes on him/in front of us, and FLOOR IT!
