Looking Back

This evening as I was driving home, the lovely day I'd had quickly faded as I hit horrible traffic on Imperial Highway. Turning left onto my street from Imperial is treacherous on a normal day, but the added construction and the fact that it was rush hour made it absolutely ridiculous. I was only a quarter of a mile from my house, but all I could see in front of me was gridlocked cars, brake lights, and people who didn't seem willing to just let me get home. The tiredness of a long day hit me, and I was irritated to say the least.

Eventually I made my way through the traffic, and just as I started to turn north I glanced in my rear-view mirror. An audible gasp came out of my mouth as I caught a glimpse of an amazing sunset that had been there behind me the entire time. It was this incredible combo of orange, pink, and purple. I love that the sky can turn purple!

I was so concerned with the mess in front of me that I hadn't bothered looking at what was happening in the opposite direction. No doubt, I needed to keep most of my attention forward to stay safe, but I was bummed that I'd missed out on watching the sunset during the time I was waiting to get home.

This experience immediately created an analogy for me of how I've been living life recently. The idea of remembering what God has done in the past is all over the place in the Bible, and I have known the joy of having a "remembering heart". But over the last couple of months, this has been difficult for me. Try as I might, I just keep feeling stuck. Lots of brake lights. Lots of irritation. And all the while, I'm missing out on seeing something really beautiful.

So tonight, I'm asking Jesus to help me remember how he has been at work in the past. And the next time you see me, go ahead and remind me to check my mirrors.