FEATURE
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Looking back Anonymous
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While driving, we do not avoid using the rearview mirror, but instead use it well, in order to drive and manoeuvre the car safely. Even so, no one drives with their eyes trained on the rearview mirror all the time, as that can be even more disastrous than not using it.
Reflecting on one’s life is somewhat similar: looking back serves as much use as it does in helping us with the journey ahead. When we share our past with others, it can encourage them to reflect on their own past. Here, a brother in his eighties shares his life in his own words, such that in addition to our own experiences, we may also learn from the experiences of those who are ahead of us in their life journeys.
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The early years: Giving thanks with a grateful heart (Psalm 136:1) The word “remember” appears repeatedly in the early chapters of the Bible: namely in the book of Deuteronomy (5:15, 6:12, 8:2), with God’s exhortations to the Israelites to not forget their deliverance from slavery. This had a great impact on my own journey, particularly at the point of my conversion to Christianity during my early teens, against a backdrop of deprivation and hostility (postWWII, circa 1952). God in His divine intervention—which I was unaware of at the time—rescued and placed me in a Christian environment that had strong fellowship. It taught me about social and leadership responsibilities, and it was where I first learned to walk with and trust God.
