rear-view mirror living

As I drove home today, I pulled behind a fairfield police officer. I was unusually calm considering how many times I have been humbled by this country’s fine police officers.

While driving around town, a police car turned onto the street I was driving and immediately pulled behind me. My heart rate started to elevate and I started to get anxious/nervous. I started to perspire and anticipate that something had to be wrong. I started going through the checklist knowing that something was terribly wrong. Do I have my license? Do I have my insurance card and is it current? Oh my goodness, is my vehicle registration current? Do I have my seatbelt on? I immediately looked down at my speedometer and started slowing down (even though I was not going over the speed limit).

I decided to take the next turn to see if the police car was tailing me. Sure enough, the police car turned too. I just knew that I was in trouble without knowing what specifically I was doing wrong. For the next five minutes, I was constantly checking my rear-view mirror praying not to see those dreaded police lights illuminate like exploding fireworks.

The police car finally turned a corner and left my driving record without incident. What a difference of reactions between when the police car was in front of me and when the police car was behind me!

Why did I react that way when the police car pulled behind me? I was doing nothing wrong, but I immediately started living a life like I was doing something wrong. Have you experienced that?

How often do we do the same thing in our spiritual life? Viewing God as the ever-present police car following behind you, judging your every move, can drastically effect your life. Just like my driving when being followed by a police car actually gets worse, my journey on life is drastically effected when viewing God as that constant judge looking over my shoulder.

Rear-view mirror living is no way to live life. That life is filled with paranoia, fear, and anxiety. That life always makes you feel defeated and that you are doing something wrong.

God loves you. He is your father who loves you unconditionally enough to pick you up when you fall and love you through your messes. He is not the police officer on your bumper analyzing your every move, waiting on you to mess up, and then punish you for breaking the rules.

God is for you. He is on your side. He wants you to succeed, not fail. He desires you to know him and live an abundant life with him. If you are struggling with accepting freedom and grace today, God wants you to stop living life looking through your rear-view mirror.

Live free today! Live forgiven!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteosness.” – Romans 6:18 (NIV)


I want to be free.