By Fr Joseph Reddy SVD
Life is all about constantly looking forward and moving on. Be it on the road while you drive towards a destination or looking expectantly towards a career, the binding rule is the same: to keep constantly looking forward, while on the journey.
It was 3pm on 23rd July, upon the request of Br Martin, I embarked on a car journey to the Sydney Domestic Airport to pick up Fr. Olivier Svd. While on the journey, Br. Martin Svd pointed to the car in front of us and exclaimed, “This guy is in a hurry. He wants to reach his destination faster than others.” We noticed the driver overtaking the other vehicles and moving ahead with quick precision and speed, only to be held up by the next set of traffic lights!
In life too, at times we want to achieve greater things in quick succession and be more successful than others, but we are caught up with life’s problems. While learning to drive a car in Australia, my driving instructor often advised me to look constantly through the windscreen and also deliberately check the rear-view mirror and the blind spot mirrors. While driving a vehicle, our whole concentration is ahead of us: to know what’s ahead, what’s coming, is the road clear and good to go ahead or not. All these things have to be considered, looking through the windscreen as we move towards our destination.
Occasionally, we have a quick look at the rear-view mirror, to know what’s coming behind us, and whether we need to give way to something important such as emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire or police vehicles. As every human being goes ahead in life looking forward, often our concentration falls behind. Occasionally when looking/reviewing our past life, we see some achievements, some happy moments. If it hurts, it’s okay. At times we can be inspired by past experiences, moved by encouraging events and see the mistakes committed that turned out to be lessons for life. But constantly looking backwards while you drive or live can be dangerous and even mishaps might occur as well.
God’s words tell us that our sight should be placed ahead in life, and our forward looking be straight, so that the upcoming time and events can be enjoyed and cherished.
We read in the Gospel of John 10:10 that Jesus came to give us life and life in abundance. How do we acquire these abundant blessings? By constantly looking forward in the given promises from Jesus and moving ahead in life.
I was indeed glad, when I hit the 10,000km mark on my odometer, having driven my car since April 2016! For me it was a significant achievement. Also, for me, while On The Go in the car or in life, looking constantly forward is the key to success and achievement. And the promises of the Lord will keep me safe and take me to my goals.
Look ahead. Use the past as a lesson, not a yardstick.
A positive mindset paves way for success!