I've reached the "second-guessing" stage of my life. You know – all of those "What if" questions. What if I had attended a different college, and majored in something more profitable than history? What if I had stuck with my first fulltime job twenty-seven years ago? What if I had never come to Pikeville? If I could live my life over, would I do a better job the second time around?

Many people look back on their lives with regret, wishing that things had turned out differently. Of all of the "Ifs" that people ponder, one of the saddest has to be "If only I had it all to do over." If only…. What is even sadder is to hear that statement from a Christian. If a believer can point to their moment of salvation, and that's the sum of their experience as a Christian after years of carrying around the Lord's name, that isn't just sad; that's tragic.

Regret about the past, though, certainly won't change it. The past is a closed book, or a canceled check as someone put it. All that should remain of it in our lives as Christians is our testimony. We shouldn't carry around guilt about it, or we cheapen the blood of Christ. If God forgives us sins, and cleanses us by the blood of Christ, why should we refuse to forgive ourselves? It's as if we're saying our own sins are too great to be washed away by the blood.

Wishing we had done things differently is another side of the same coin. God's grace is sufficient for our failures and shortcomings. We can't go back and change what we did or should have done, but neither should we punish ourselves for it. That applies not only to overt sin we committed, but to missed opportunities and wrong choices. I have enough of my own, and I can't go back in time and change a one of them.

That doesn't mean we can't change some of the consequences of our past actions, though. We can confess our feelings of guilt to the Lord, and then give them up to him for good. We can forgive those we carry grudges against, even if they're long dead, and we can make a real effort to restore broken relationships. We can let the Lord deal with fears and areas of bondage we may have nurtured for many years. In other words, we can allow him to do what he really wants to do anyway, which is give us a clean slate.

The past is a canceled check, the future is a promissory note, but the present is cash in hand. What matters is not what we have or have not done in the past, but what we're doing right now. If we are at peace within ourselves, content with who we are in Christ, we don't need to fret about either what might have been, or what may come. The keys to a closer walk with the Christ don't change, and I only repeat them so often because they are as vital as they are simple. Number one, now and always, our faith is not a religion, but a relationship. It doesn't matter how many rules of right living you learn, or how many Bible verses you know, if you don't know Christ personally, it's all useless. As with any other relationship, you become closer to Christ by spending time with him. That means worship, praise, prayer, and feeding on the Word.

Talk with the Lord, and listen; prayer is not a monologue. Praise and worship open the doors of the soul so the Lord can come in. Feed on the Word, don't just read it; chew it on it, slowly, meditate on it, and let it sink deep down. Fellowship is sweet in the Lord. You'll find that the more joy you experience in your times alone with Jesus, the greater will be your joy when you worship with other Christians. If you go to a church service and expect your blessing to come from the pastor, or the choir, you're looking in the wrong place.

You can't keep Christ's love unless you give it away. Loving yourself means absolutely nothing unless you also love the Lord and others. Christians who look constantly to improving themselves and make no use of what they gain to minister to others bring shame to the Cross. That doesn't mean we all have to be preachers or teachers or deacons or members of the Board. We all have our circle of family, friends, and acquaintances we see regularly. Whether it's a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand in time of need, we can always find a way to share Christ in us. Don't stop with just those you know; the world is full of hurting souls bound for Hell, and something you do or say may be just what they need to come to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You can start building a new past right now, one you can look back on with joy, not regret.

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JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 1