No Regrets...

I'm sorry it's been a while since I've blogged. Sometimes, what is stirred up in your life is on too personal a level to blog about.  Sometimes, connections to our past can be bittersweet memories.  That's a big part of my journey this past month.  Maybe you too have certain memories of your past that are bittersweet...regrets that are mixed with the good times. 

Have you ever looked back on highschool days, for instance, and just smile at the memories of field trips, lunchtime banter, or some winning point you scored, to be flooded with the feelings of regret for being a wall flower or not standing up to the class bully or maybe for being too much of a conformist instead of being your own person?  Why does this happen? Why can't we just let go of the pain and embrace the good times? 

Some might argue that the regrets are what keep us straight today. There may be some truth in that, but I also feel that we spend a lot of our lives beating ourselves up for not being THEN the person we are NOW. This is kind of crazy if you think about it...afterall...we are the person we are now BECAUSE of those experiences. We grow, we learn, we change and mature...those very experiences we regret are often the stepping stones to the person you are today.

So, the next time you feel those deep regrets...turn around and thank the Lord that these moments now allow you to feel you need for grace, to empathize with others, to now "do the right thing".  Be thankful and praise Him that He has used the evil done against us AND the evil we ourselves wrought, and has transformed it into a blessing known as wisdom and understanding.  Don't punish yourself for acting as a child when you were a child...rejoice that you're an adult. Don't beat yourself up over failures...because you acted in the knowledge and strength you had at the time...instead be thankful for your wisdom today and His grace along the way.

Clear the path ahead by not regretting the hard steps along the way but by praising Him for the blessings they have brought and the clearer vision today!