Rear View Mirror - A Love Story

The rear view mirror in my car is broken. It doesn't stay up like it used to and just keeps falling down as I drive. While this is probably unsafe for me as a driver, it has become a blessing to me as a mom. When my mirror has fallen, as it usually does, it gives me the perfect angle to see my kids in the backseat. At first I tried to fix it but then I started to enjoy the view it gave me more and more. Sometimes I will be driving home from my parents house and will look up to see a beautiful picture of two sleeping peanuts all snuggled in their seats; those are my peanuts! When I look up and see them behind me I am, on so many occasions, filled with pride in who they are and who they are becoming. I cannot believe they belong to me! What a privilege it is to be their mommy. But on other occasions I look back and find myself witness to tantrums and fighting and two little people who seem deaf to my voice but who can always seem to hear the word "chocolate". Amazing how they can change in an instant!

A few days ago I was looking back at them and thinking about how much I love them and how much they trust me to get them where we are going. They can rest in their car seats knowing that I am in control and that I am protecting them. It then occured to me that this is a similar picture of my relationship with the Lord. I was reading this verse a few days ago...

" Moses built an altar and named it Jehovah-Nissi, 'The Lord is my banner'." - Exodus 17:15

...and it reminded me that the Lord goes before me...He is my banner! Then I started wondering, "If He is going before me, what does the view look like in His rear view mirror?" When He looks back at me does He see a child who is trusting Him, and resting in Him? Does he look back on me with pride at who I am and who I am becoming even when I am not behaving? The answer is most certainly "yes"!

Even when I see bad attitudes and disobedience in my rear view mirror, I still see my children. I still see the little people who grew inside me for 9 months, the babies I nursed, who I taught to walk, and who I have great hopes for. When God looks in His rear view mirror He sees the same. He looks past who I am to see who He has made me to be! I love that He is proud of me even when I am misbehaving. I love that He is loving me even when I am disobedient. I love that His heart swoons as mine does at the sight of His children. God may be a father, but He is certainly a mama bear too!

Sometimes when I am looking back, my kids will see my face and smile at me. I think they like knowing that I am looking back at them and loving them. Kenley will say, "I see you Mommy!"

So, here's the question: What does God see in His rear view mirror when He looks back on you? Are you within His sights? Can you see His face? Get back in line behind Him! He loves the view of YOU!