During most of my morning and afternoon commutes to work, I will often listen to sports radio. I remember in 1986 listening to Art Rust Jr. on WABC an AM station at night. I used to laugh at so many listeners calling in with outlandish trade propositions. "The Mets should trade Dwight Gooden to the A's for Dave Kingman!!" WHAT??? I was very happy when WFAN began a year later because it meant sports radio would now be on the radio 24/7. Fast forward 35 years later and lately their is less talk about sports and more talk about other topics. Don't get me started on that. I'll save that for another blog down the road but not today!
Last August I was listening to an interview with the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin. My brother Mike is a die hard Steelers fan and growing up in the 1970's he enjoyed many Super Bowl appearances and wins by his team while my team, the New York Giants were cellar dwellers missing the playoffs every year and playing lousy football. During this radio interview, Mike Tomlin gave an analogy about his team and how he was reflecting on his teams previous season in 2021. He said in a nutshell "When we look at last season, we need to look at it as we are looking in a rearview mirror in a car. When we look at this upcoming season, we need to look at it as a windshield in that same car." That is not a direct quote from him but a paraphrased version of it. What he was trying to say really inspired me. When you are driving a car and you have the windshield in front of you, you have a clear vision of what's ahead and what's in front of you. You can see all the cars ahead of you, the street signs, the traffic lights and the road ahead. Coach Tomlin was stating it is very important to always look ahead because it is much more clearer than looking back. When you are in a car, it is hard to see what is behind you. Each car has this little mirror over your windshield that is called a rearview mirror. When someone is tailgating you, it's had to see who the perpetrator is. At night all you see are two headlights. What is more annoying is when they have their high beams on!! Each car has what is called a blind spot. I still laugh whenever I watch the movie "Back to the Future" when Biff tells George McFly, "I can't believe you'd loan me your car without telling me it had a blind spot. I could have been killed!" Every car has a blind spot and yes, there are times you want to merge onto a major highway and you might almost hit another car because you didn't see them moving up in their lane. Looking back in life should be just like that tiny rearview mirror. What is behind us or in the past is over with and done. It's time to look ahead.
In my own personal life I have taken the approach to look out of the windshield in my "Car of life" and strive toward what is ahead. When you look at the political climate, the state our world is in and the hatred you see all across the world, it might seem very bleak and dreary. So why would anyone want to look ahead? Sure, the candidate I voted for Governor of New York did not win. In other races "the left" may have won but I take the approach that God is still in control no matter what. That is why I don't look at the rearview mirror and I also don't like discussing politics!. What happened in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and years before that are over with and done! Take a look at an example in the bible of someone who looked back. It is interesting that in Genesis 19, Lot's wife looked back at the destruction of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned to a pillar of salt. Why? She looked back! She didn't look ahead! She didn't see a bright future ahead of her, she only dwelled on the destruction that took place that was in the past. It is also interesting that she never had a name. She was always known as "Lot's wife."
No one ever drives a car looking out of the rearview mirror. If they do, it is obvious they will have a huge accident. You need to see what is in front of you in order to operate your vehicle. My challenge to everyone is simple!! Look ahead and not behind you. See the bright future ahead in your life and not the past that is over with and done! Look ahead!!
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!!
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