Philippians 3:13,14 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (NASB)
My oldest son, Luis, showed me a picture of a person with a tattoo on their chest: NO RAGRETS. Some may think it’s funny, but I’m sure the person who got the tattoo didn’t think so once they realized it was spelled wrong.
The truth is, regrets aren’t funny, nor are they healthy for us. Our friend, Rick says, “It weighs you down like you’ve gained a rock in your rucksack.”
We’ve all done things, said things, or missed what the Lord wanted us to do.
I’ve moved around my whole life because of military service. (Dad’s, mine and my husband’s.) After I’d move, I would have thoughts such as: Did I do all I could? Did I help? Did I love? Did I fulfill the Lord’s plan there?
Looking at our kids….all grown now, I would ask the Lord, “Have I done all I could to point them to You? Did I teach them well?”
I would also start rehashing mistakes I’d made over and over in my mind. We can tattoo regrets in our minds by reliving them. It serves no good purpose.
My friend, Peggi, once told me, “Don’t live there, Dawn, live today.”
1 Corinthians 13:5 It (love) does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. (NIV)
…Keeps no record of wrongs…..yours, or mine.
I watched a soldier, just back from Afghanistan, talking to his young sons as they helped him unpack. He said, “Memories are hard.” His sons asked him why, and he said, “You can’t move forward if you keep looking back.”
That’s a good word! Live today, not yesterday or tomorrow. Put the stick down and quit beating yourself up. Forgive yourself and move on. Make the most of each day.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. (NASB)
