My dog, Ranger, was sitting in the passenger seat of my vehicle as I was driving down a rural, dirt road on a summer afternoon.  Soon I drove past a rabbit sitting beside the road.  When Ranger saw the rabbit, he began barking and turned to look through the back window to watch it.  Even after the rabbit was far out of sight, Ranger continued looking through the back window.   Meanwhile, two more rabbits darted across the road ahead of us; however, because Ranger was still focused on the first rabbit, he never saw the others.  Seeing two rabbits running across the road and into the field would have brought him much more excitement than seeing a single rabbit sitting by the road. 

This experience made me wonder how many of God’s blessings I have missed because, like Ranger, I am occupied with things of the past instead of looking forward in anticipation of what God has planned for me.  Continuing to focus on past events, whether they are joyous or devastating, can prevent us from seeing blessings God has in store for our future. 

Prayer: Dear Father, help bring us closure from things in the past that have prevented us from moving forward.  Open our eyes to the blessings you provide, and help us always to remain focused on the future. Amen.