If Only I Could Go Back And Change This

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you went back in time and changed some of the things you did that weren't the best decisions in your life? You know, the old "hindsight is 20/20" thing can be somewhat appealing when the notion of changing your past to give you a better future is involved. This is something we've seen in movies and television shows which causes us to figure this could be a good thing, regardless of whatever effect it would have on the space/time continuum.

I used to think that going back to high school knowing what I know as an adult would be a good thing. I'd do things differently, make a better effort to learn things and be nicer to the people that I maybe wasn't as nice to as I should have been. But this morning as this thought crossed my mind, I began to think about where I am as an adult, and truthfully I wouldn't be where I am if some of those things in my past were taken away and replaced with other options.

Yeah, I wish I would have been nicer to some of the kids in my school. Not that I was a bully or anything, at least not in my eyes, but what they actually saw in me could have said otherwise. I wish that I had not been bullied, or at least would have stood up to a few of those who picked on me instead of cowering down in fear.

I remember one time in like the 5th grade that my friend Terry and I decided to bring our G.I. Joes to school to play with during recess. Man, how I would like to go back and change that. We were harassed endlessly for days for playing with Barbie dolls, it didn't matter how many weapons our soldiers had. And it was about that time that I lost interest in them, and a part of my childhood died that day.

How many things did you give up as a child due to bullying or the attitudes of your peers concerning those items that you loved? This may be one of the reasons that I have always told my children not to care what anyone thinks of them except Jesus. And there in is the crux of what I'm trying to say. You see, if I had not taken my G.I. Joes to school with me, and been ridiculed for playing with them, would I have been as adamant with my children about not caring what others think of them?

So you could say in a round about way that what I learned in my childhood, even as discomforting as it was for me then, has helped my kids become better people today. So if I were to go back and change that day in my history, what kind of kids would my kids have become? I think that sometimes we romanticize our past, and wish to change it for the sake of making our lives back then easier, when in reality we would be destroying part of who we are today. After all it is those things which happened to us in our past that has helped to make us who we are.

There has been much change in my life lately, and I guess I've been doing a little bit of reevaluating because of it. And since I've always said, "If I could only go back and change this, I would be so much better off." this morning I've come to realize that those things in my past are important. They are important because I would not be the man I am today without them. So yes, while there were some hurtful things back then, changing them would change the outcome of who I am, and truthfully looking at who I am right now, makes me appreciate in a different light who I was back then.

Don't let your past hinder you in your future. Also, don't wear the things that happened to you in your past like a badge of honor, instead let's do like the Apostle Paul instructed us, and forget those things which are behind us, and let's press on towards the mark of the prize which is in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Are You Watching Life, Or Participating?

Has this ever happened to you as you watched a movie or television show? You're sitting there enjoying the entertainment, when you see the main character about to get into trouble and getting caught up in the moment you start to holler at the screen for the character to watch out?

We've all done that I'm sure. Why do we do that exactly? It's because we can see what is about to happen to the people in those stories we're watching. We can see the man with the gun hiding behind the door, where the hero of the story can't. It's part of what makes story telling good, but it also makes us a spectator to those people's lives.

Wouldn't it be nice to know what was about to happen next in any given moment? I mean to have clarity in knowing that the decisions that you are making right now are the correct ones. What a wonderful gift that would be huh? Absolutely not! I mean part of me does wish for that, but if we knew everything all the time how boring would our lives become? It would be like eating the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day for your entire life. Yes it would nourish your body, but don't you think you would begin to detest meal times? I know that I would.

This life we are living is called by the Apostle Paul a race. But it is not a sprint, no it is more like a marathon, one that we run at a constant pace until we win. In Hebrews chapter eleven he talks

about the great cloud of witnesses that we have set as an example of what our race should look like. These heroes of faith are there to spur us on to continue our race no matter what. Paul says in Hebrews chapter twelve, verse two that we should fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith.

There's a couple of thoughts here, first off the great cloud of witnesses were all men and women of faith that were before Jesus completed the thing that God had for us all. So therefore these people are our examples of how to have faith in God, even though we are partakers of the better covenant.

The second thing is that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus. I heard a minister speaking this year and he talked about how he was a track runner in high school. He told us the story about one of his meets, where he was way out in front of everyone else. He recalled that he could not hear the sound of anyone else's feet around him, so he turned his head to see how far ahead of everyone he was, and lost the race by one-tenth of a second.

There was another runner right beside him, and when he took his eyes off of his goal, the finish line, it caused him to slow up in his running just enough that the man beside him took the prize. He went on to say that the coach always told them to never take their eyes off of the goal, but to press on towards the finish line until the race was over. And had he done that on that day, he would have won the race.

If we do not keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will begin to get distracted from the goal of our race and slow up too. We cannot spend our time looking at what is around us, but must continue to strain forward towards the prize. We must pray, listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, then step out in faith believing that we are making the best and right decisions that we can.

We must press on with that decision until we either win or realize that we missed it. And when we miss it, which we will from time to time, we need to stop, ask God to forgive us for missing it, then pray again, listen for God and then run our race. Life is not about getting it right every time, it is about getting out there and living that full, abundant life that Jesus talked about in John 10:10. Yes, we'll make mistakes, and miss what God is saying from time to time, but if we play it safe all of our lives, we will miss out on things that will make our lives more interesting for sure.

A good friend of mine said to me today, "Do what God is calling you to do, even if you have to do it afraid." Good advice for sure, the unknown can be scary, but even if we are afraid, we know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us because God is right there with us. So take a chance today, live life fully keeping your eyes on the prize, Jesus.