Have you done things in your life you wish you could go back and change? As the saying goes, “If I only knew then what I know now…” But you didn’t and neither did I. If we did, we could have made better decisions because we’d know how they’d turn out. It’s a fact that in life we all make mistakes. What isn’t as predictable is whether or not we learn from them. The good news is, we have a fresh start today! Our future begins now, not in the past.
So what led up to this turning point opportunity today?
In life, we all have lessons to learn and they begin early. As babies beginning to walk, part of the process was falling as we learned how to balance. Fortunately, our little butts were close to the ground and padded with a diaper, so it was a soft landing. It was a process we all had to go through and we eventually figured it out with help from our parents.
As we got older, more outside influences entered our lives. We met new friends at school and in our neighborhood. Some were good kids and others not so much. We started making our own choices about obeying our parents or letting our friends control our decisions. We decided whether or not to steal, or swear, to get in fights, or skip school and smoke and drink. We also found out there were real consequences if we got grounded, or sent to the principal’s office, or caught by the Police. Now it gets interesting. Some of us, even way back then, easily adapted to following the rules, while others experimented and tested the waters, and some decided to break the rules. Getting started in life, which type were you?
Adulting was next. The college years. Your first job and apartment. You had even more freedom to make your own decisions without parents looking over your shoulder. Chances are, you followed your tendency to stay in line, keep experimenting, or keep breaking the rules. The stakes got higher and began shaping the path of your life.
Whatever decade you’re in as you read this, ask yourself what you’ve learned so far.
• Have you made good habits and stayed on track, despite temptations? Proverbs 1:5 (ESV) says, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.”
• Have you had one or more seasons of leaving what you knew was right to try something unhealthy for you physically, spiritually, or financially? Did you learn the lesson about why it was hurting you, and probably others, and turn your life around for good? Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) says, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess their sins, they will receive mercy.”
• Have you gone far away from ”the rules” and broken most of them? Have you come to a dead end and circumstances have now forced you to make changes? 1 John 1:9 (NIV) says God has forgiveness waiting for you: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
All of us will learn the easy way – or the hard way. But either way, we’ll eventually learn that our personal lessons are truly for our own good. They’re taught by our Heavenly Father who knows and loves us. Each one is an opportunity to gain wisdom and deepen our trust in Him – if we choose to. That part is up to us.
RESET HIGHER: The English Standard Version (ESV) is a translation of the Bible first published in 2001 by over 100 evangelical scholars. Their goal was to create word-for-word precision that is essentially literal. Here is Proverbs 12:1 in that version and it captures the intended meaning without mincing words:
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”
I love when the Bible cuts to the chase. It’s sometimes surprising, but isn’t this the truth we all need to hear? Do you love discipline and knowledge? We all have a lot more to learn, don’t we?
