In Hindsight

I’ve always been intrigued and a bit intimidated by the phrase “in hindsight.” I hesitate every time I want to use it because I’m never sure I even know how to spell it correctly. So I looked it up. According to the Free Online Dictionary by Farlex, it means, “Reconsidering the past with the knowledge one now has.” I think this is a great definition! It makes perfect sense since this is an expression that people often use when they want to refer to things they would had done differently had they known better.

I think it’s also usually a rather melancholic word. It always seems to be accompanied by a deep sense of introspection, a tilt of the head and an almost imperceptible sigh. It’s like a wish we just realized never came true.

O how we wish we had hindsight in foresight!!

The mistakes we would avoid…the phone calls, the visits, the turns, the stops, the decisions we would make that could change the sad and painful outcomes we now face... 

Sigh…

It doesn’t work that way, though. Whereas it’s true we sometimes have the capability to make an educated guess at what's to come...our vision does not reach the future with clarity. Therefore, the decisions we make, the steps we take, and the paths we follow are oftentimes blurred by the rather thick fog of the unknown. That is why, when we solely rely on our own eyes, understanding and knowledge, we hit many roadblocks on the road of life.

If we only had hindsight in foresight…

Although, it is true we don’t…it is also true we know who does.

Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’ Isaiah 46: 9-10

We don’t know the future, but The Most High God, the Maker of All, the God Who Sees, He knows it! He determines it. He holds it. He has all the hindsight anyone may ever need so ahead of time that He doesn’t even need it because He created it. Mind boggling, huh? That is Our God, undecipherable by our limited human minds. What is not a riddle, however, is the fact that we can put our trust in Him. He is Trustworthy like no other. He knows what’s ahead on our road.  He knows how everything is going to turn out.  And the miracle of it all is that He doesn't send us alone.  He walks with us, and when we stumble and eventually fall, He is the One who picks us up, mends our cuts and tends to our bruised soul.

I don’t know what the future holds…I don’t have hindsight in foresight…but I know who holds the future, and I know who holds my hand. (Ira Stanphill)