Articles
The If onlys of life
The "If Onlys" of life
If you are like me, you look back on your life and see some things you wish you could do over - bad decisions, misplaced priorities, unrealized potential, missed opportunities to serve, failure to apply myself diligently to educational opportunities, etc.
But the reality of life is that we get the grade first and the lesson later. Hindsight is always better than foresight. Regrets are an inevitable part of living. They are the “if onlys” of life.
If only I had ....
... never started this bad habit.
... taken advantage of this opportunity.
... made daily Bible study and prayer a vital part of each day.
... set a better example for my family and others.
... put God and the church first.
... given greater attention to the spiritual training of my children.
... done a better job of controlling my temper and my tongue.
... not given in to temptation.
... taken better care of myself physically.
... used my talents and abilities to serve the Lord and His church.
... not allowed bitterness and resentment to control me.
... been a better husband and father, or wife and mother.
... trusted God more.
... tried harder to obey the Lord’s will.
... not been so stubborn.
... not been so negative and so critical of others.
... not been involved in gossip.
... not been so wrapped up in myself,
... been more sensitive to the needs of others.
... been more compassionate.
... been more teachable.
... been more submissive to God.
You get the idea. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have our “if onlys.” They can cause us to feel defeated and depressed, or we can resolve to learn from them. We can live in the past or learn from it. The choice we make will determine to a large extent whether we will succeed or fail as Christians.
Just as spilled milk cannot be unspilled, neither can the past be changed. If we fail to forgive ourselves for the mistakes and sins of the past, we are destined to have a miserable existence. The hardest person to forgive is ourselves. Unless we forgive ourselves, we will never know the joy of forgiveness.
By God’s grace, if we have been baptized into Christ, we can claim His promise of forgiveness.Christians are not perfect, we are forgivensinners.
That is the good news of the gospel. If we will repent, God will forgive. If we will forgive ourselves, the “if onlys” will no longer be a burden, but a blessing as we learn from them and use them to make us a better Christian.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
