Are you in Forward or Reverse?

Are You in Forward or Reverse?

A few weeks ago I noticed that in the morning my car did not readily engage when I shifted to reverse to pull out of the garage.   In fact I had to give it some gas to move and then the car reluctantly moved with a slight jerk.

Then one morning after my car had sat for the weekend it jerked significantly when put in reverse, so much so that I thought I had better have the transmission checked to make sure nothing was seriously wrong.

The car sat at the mechanics for an entire day, during which time he could find nothing wrong with it.

When I arrived to pick the car up and again told the mechanic when the jerking action occurred, he mentioned that I should wait before putting the car in gear, and in fact it might be better to shift to drive first, and then back to reverse.

He told me that there is fluid in the transmission that drains out when the car sits.  This fluid needs to fill up the torque converter before the car can engage the reverse drive.

This was news to me, but very welcome news!  Really, all I had to do was wait a few seconds before shifting?

I told the mechanic that since the car had started jerking more harshly I had begun to back into parking spots, and into my garage in the evening.  This allowed me to pull out of the garage going forward instead of backward and actually alleviated the problem up to that point.

He said, “That’ll work too.”

Interestingly the view when pulling out forward from a parked position allows the driver to better see and navigate.  In reverse our view tends to be more limited increasing the risk of a potential accident.

This new perspective I have from pulling forward rather than backing up has given me more confidence that I won’t run into something.

I see an application here to my everyday life as well.

I need to start the day clearly focused on what is in front of me not what is behind me.   I need to have a clear vision of where I am headed.

I want to be moving forward, not backward.

This means I need to put the past behind me, even if it’s just the past of yesterday with its trials and temptations.

Each day needs to be started fresh with clear direction.

Looking behind, I may see indecision, or things left undone, perhaps even some regrets.

But looking forward changes my perspective. Just as I have better central and peripheral vision when my car is aimed in the forward direction, I also have better central and peripheral vision when my life is moving forward with clear direction.

I can base my decision not on what I think or feel but on what the best choice is for myself and those around me.   I can see clearly when obstacles are removed, and seeing clearly is the first step to acting in a right manner.

I also need to be filled.  Just as my car needs to have the torque converter refilled before shifting, I too need to be filled with the Holy Spirit before moving.  If the car is forced to move too quickly it will jerk because it lacks the lubrication of the transmission fluid.

If I move before being filled, I move on the power of my own strength rather than under the power of the strength of the one who sustains me.  I want to be driven by God’s power and not my own.  I want to ask for God’s blessing each morning and be sanctified by Holy Spirit daily.

Yes, I like this new position of driving forward.  Sure it means I have to back into the garage at the end of the day.  But it’s so much better to back in for the evening and retire from a spirit filled day, than to back into the beginning of a new day without God’s direction.

So my thoughts will mirror my driving.  I will start each day facing forward, lifting my eyes to the heavens and embracing God’s will and direction for my life; filled with the spirit, one day at a time!

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Proverbs 4:25