I guess I was about 19 years old when I had my very first “fender-bender.” I had just gotten a roast beef sandwich at the Arby’s drive-through and was waiting to merge on to Sixth Avenue as I sat behind another car. I looked over my shoulder and there were no cars coming in our direction. The car ahead of me began to pull out on to Sixth Avenue. He had pulled out about 5-10 feet and was accelerating, so all signs led me to believe that he was merging on to the highway. Seeing that he was moving forward, I let off my brake and slowly began to accelerate, taking another glance over my shoulder to make sure no cars were coming. In that split second, while I was looking over my shoulder, the driver ahead of me put on his brakes for some unexplained reason and I ran right into him. Luckily for me, there was no major damage done and the driver of the other car was very understanding and forgiving.
It was on that day that I learned the importance of keeping my eyes ahead of me while accelerating. MOVING FORWARD WHILE LOOKING BACKWARD is a very dangerous proposition. Jesus said, “No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). He had a very good reason for saying this.
We all have both good things and bad things in our past that we look back on (either affectionately, or with remorse.) It’s safe to look back when your foot is on the brake… when you’ve stopped for a moment to reflect on what you did right or wrong… when you’ve stopped and can make the necessary adjustments to your life. But as soon as you decide to move on, to move forward, there can be no looking backward. It is unsafe. It can even be dangerous. Yes, there is a very good reason why the Bible says, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”… it’s the SAFEST way to live.
Philippians 3:13
This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.
