It’s a matter of time
By Gary Andrews
Several years before he passed away, my wife asked her dad, “Would you go back to the time of your youth if you could?”
How many of us think about our past and say if I could do some things different, I would. I think about my past and some of the decisions I made and actions that I took, and wonder would I be a different person today had I not made the choices I made?
There are many today that let our past dictate how we feel today. Many of us let our past feelings influence decisions of today instead of looking at what is possible for the future. Our memories, experiences, and lessons we learned can shape our present-day activities.
For those of us that were raised in a Christian environment and had Christian parents plus
Christian mentors, understand that God, our heavenly Father, gives us wisdom through His Word to sustain us and carry us through our daily living. He calls us to move forward through faith and leave behind the past. The Bible warns against thinking about the past and allowing these thoughts to hinder our spiritual growth and trust in God’s promises.
We need to remember what Solomon, in all his wisdom, tells us in Proverbs 4:25, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”
The Bible warns against looking back in a way that hinders our spiritual growth. The Apostle Paul reminds us, in his letter to the Philippians, to forget what lies behind us and reach forward to those things which are ahead.
For me, I often think about words I said to others or actions that I displayed toward them and wish I could take them back. It doesn’t matter how many times I apologize for misspoken words or actions taken, they can never be retracted.
When my dad and father-in-law, men who I loved and respected, were asked about going back to their youth, they replied, no. Both said life was too hard. Both taught me many things about living one day at a time and spoke to me about living in the time we have now and not worrying about what is behind us and look for what is in front of us. Both men live with the Lord now and I don’t remember either of them complaining about days past but always looked forward to what the present day may have, with hopes of a better tomorrow.
What about you? Do you have Jesus in your heart and understand that He is in control and will guide you through anything and everything that life throws your way? We need to realize that we are only on this earth for a few days. It is only a matter of time before we will be called to our eternal home!
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the days you allow us to have on earth. I pray that I spend them the way you want and not have to look back at my mistakes. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Luke 9:57-62; Monday – Jeremiah 29:11-13, Tuesday – Hebrews 12:1-2; Wednesday – Isaiah 55:6-9; Thursday – 2 Timothy 1:7; Friday – Psalm 37:23-24; Saturday – Romans 8:26-28) A667-25
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