Church Leader Insights Blog with Nelson Searcy

Leaders Have a Small Rearview Mirror

This weekend Kelley and I had a little get away in Los Angeles. On Friday we drove down to Orange County to meet friends, visit Saddleback Church (where I was on staff for a couple of years) and check out our old neighborhood.

On this trip, I was reminded of a thought that’s been bouncing around in my head for several months. I’m not sure that its original with me but here it is:

Leaders have a small rearview mirror.

By this I mean that leaders spend only minor time looking back and major time looking forward.

Looking back has advantages:

* To learn the lessons so you don’t repeat them again

* To get better

* To be grateful for how God has worked in your life

and many other benefits. But overall, a leader should spend minimal time in the past. I’ll try to expand on this in the future, but I welcome your feedback.

The bottom line from last Friday: Kelley and I had a blast revisting our old neighborhood, visiting old friends and rehearsing old memories. We are grateful for the time we spent in SoCal. But our focus is really on the present and the future. As we drove back to LA, we prayed and thanked God for what He is doing in our lives now and spent some time dreaming about what the future might hold. New York City is our present and our future.

A rearview mirror is a great tool but if you want to get somewhere you’ve got to keep your eyes chiefly on the road ahead.

Nelson Searcy