Regrets

Sometimes the regrets I carry keep me from moving. Regrets are like weights. They are heavy, and like a weight are hard to get rid of. I am way too fond of looking back at the would of, could of, should of's of life and not so good at asking what I need to do today. I try. I ask God for direction and for guidance. There are times when I move forward and do as He directs. But there are those other times when I am hampered by what I have missed and how much farther along I should be on this road God has given me. One of my resolutions for the year is to not let regret paralyze me. I don't want to be sidelined by past failure. Paul was so wise to "forget what was behind." Jesus knew what He was doing when He told the woman "Go and sin no more." They knew that one of the secrets to effectiveness in the present is to walk forward from the past, to let it be the past. It is hard at times. Some of the fallout of those past regrets may be a constant reminder of the past. That fallout also needs to be placed in the present. Consequences of past failures are to be given to God. We are to trust that the God who is All Powerfull can work out those consequences for His Glory, redeem them. We are set free from our past failures in Christ, whether those failures happened before or after we were saved. The same sacrifice for sin covers and forgives our failures. I know in my mind that I should live with no regrets. I know that God has forgiven me of everything and that my time is fresh and redeemed for Him. I know that He is working, even in those situations borne out of my failure. He is so precious, such a Savior, the great Redeemer. He is in our present and has forgiven our past. Let's surrender all of our today's and tomorrow's to Him and cast out all of our yesterday's. Let's walk as the redeemed, forgiven, cleansed believers that Christ says that we are.