I saw a sitcom not long ago where a young girl was hitting herself over the head with a soft bat all the time saying, “Why are you hitting yourself?” Bam! “Why are you hitting yourself?” Bam! That is such a picture of regret, exactly what we do to ourselves when we indulge in regret. We inflict unnecessary pain upon ourselves. We choose turmoil and pain in the mind. We keep looking back at what might have been.
“If only I would have done things different.”
“If only I had been a better mother.”
“If only I would have made better decisions.”
We must come to the place where we accept the fact that we cannot go back and change our decisions and our actions. There are better things we can do: We can let it go. We can let the past be the past once and for all. We can learn from our mistakes and live better.
As my brother Joel says, “Quit looking in your rearview mirror all the time.” Instead, focus on how to improve yourself and make better decisions today. Look to God instead of yourself and be encouraged because God is the God of another chance. He believes in new beginnings. His mercies are new every morning. Remember his promise? Do you perceive it? I will do a new thing! (Excerpt from “You Are Made For More!”, Chapter 8)
