“Well, hindsight is 20/20!”
Skipper, from the Penguins of Madagascar.
A visual acuity test examines how well you’re able to see the details of a letter or a symbol from afar, and it’s a test of visual clarity. When a person is given a visual acuity score of 20/20, it usually means that such a person’s eyesight is optimal.
In life, the reasons why we go through certain things aren’t always clear. It’s usually when we’re at the end of that phase that we, sometimes, come to a better understanding of why we went through all that we did. Hence, hindsight would usually be 20/20 for an individual, as on looking back, things tend to be a bit more defined and take better shape.
But this isn’t always the case. It is expected of believers in Christ, that in everything we experience (pleasurable or otherwise), we learn to deepen our trust in God and enlarge our dependence on Him. But sometimes, because we’re focusing on the wrong things, or spending the time of waiting complaining, we miss out on the instructions we’re supposed to pick up from those peculiar seasons. And when this happens, hindsight is bound to be impaired.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of Wisdom.”
(Psalms 90:12, AMP)
The above verse was a prayer by Moses, and is still such a relevant prayer now. The word “number” is beyond serially counting the days. Serially counting days alone does not cultivate wisdom. In fact, it can achieve quite the opposite, making you do foolish things because of the societal expectations from people of certain ages.
“Number” is from the Hebrew word “manah” which, in addition to counting, means to reckon: to assign. It’s not the regular counting; more like an accounting. By looking at how we’ve spent our lives through the lens of God’s purpose for us, we’re able to see how far we’ve come, and tailor our future actions accordingly. That’s a 20/20 hindsight.
And notice how Moses prays to be taught how to do this reckoning of days past. It implies that attempting to analyze past events with the wrong parameters would impair hindsight. It would leave you deficient in vital life lessons. We must trust the Spirit of God to teach us how to look back and learn.
Also, it would be a mistake to want to learn from only your own hindsight. Experience may be the best teacher, as it is commonly touted, but it doesn’t have to be your own experience. You can (and you should) learn from the hindsight of others.
The people of Israel spent such an awfully long time in the wilderness because they refused to learn from all they had been through and all that God had helped them through. You stand the same chance of repeating your mistakes and tarrying in a particular phase of your life if you fail to learn what you ought to per time.
Sharpen your hindsight.
In Plain Sight 