Many of us live “in the moment”. We are so busy doing our everyday things that we become absorbed in them. We are so preoccupied trying to keep up with our task list that we fail to do two important things. One of those important things to to look back.
It is difficult to see the big picture very clearly when we are “in the moment”. We are too close to it, haven’t had time to reflect on it, and we are usually too hurried to really think much about it…we just react to the circumstances.
On the other hand, when we look back to yesterday or last week or last year or twenty years ago, we are better able to put things in perspective of the bigger picture. We can see how the events of the past shaped who and what we are today. We see things more clearly that we did in the moment. It is true that “hindsight is always 20/20”.
Samuel knew the power of looking back, and called the Israelite people to it.
Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors. 1 Samuel 12:7 (NLT)
Here is my suggestion for you today: stand quietly before the Lord and let Him remind you of all the great things he has done for you and those that came before you. Let Him bring to mind the great blessings that have filled your life, and write them down. Let Him remind you of the tragedies that you have suffered through and write down how those hard times shaped you. Let Him remind you of the littlest things that made you smile as a child or teenager, of the moment He became real to you. Let Him bring to mind your successes and your failures and everything in between.
Go back as far as you can and let God remind you of the great things He has done for you. Put on some glasses and get a clear picture of where you have come from. When you are finished, praise Him with all your heart. Praise Him for all that He has allowed into your life. All of it.
