The Sunday morning small group discussed Colossians 3 verses 18 through 4:1 and it left me feeling like there were a lot of “I should have” done this or that in my past. I admit I am far from perfect! Reflecting on these verses left me feeling bad about my life in many ways. Here is where I failed in the past in not doing what I should have.
The passage starts out “wives submit to your husband”. I did that to the point I was the perfect doormat! Yeah, I should have had more backbone maybe my husband would have loved me more. I was doing what I thought was right. I should have done better!
Verse 21 says “fathers, don’t aggravate your children. If you do, they will become discouraged and quit trying.” (NLT). For me, I felt like a failure when it comes to how I raised my children. Still do in some ways but I was doing it alone. I should have done better! Hindsight. I should have paid more attention to my kids than to my own schoolwork or entertainment. I feel guilty when I see my peers who have young adult children who are off to college or getting married. Neither one of my kids have chosen those paths. I feel like I should have raised better kids.
When it comes to employment, the next thing talked about in this passage, I feel like I should have done better here. After all, I have a master’s degree, yet I am working at Walmart. I should have done a better job at my internship or paid more attention to detail in my coursework. I should have applied for more jobs and worked on my interview skills. Even at my current job I feel like I should have done better and maybe I would be in a better position.
I also should have done a better job with my finances and getting stuff done around the house. I should have been more organized when it comes to boxes of stuff. So many of my boxes have moved from one home to another untouched. I should have worked on making payment arrangements and worked hard at not building up debt.
Even my body is a mess! I should have taken better care of it and not eaten should much sweets and fast foods. I should have established a regular exercise program. I should have spent less time on Facebook and more time being active.
I often feel like my life is a mess! I have so many “should haves” in my past which affect how my life is now. So many things I should have done but I put off doing. I am really good at procrastination! BUT here is the key to all this! God works with the here and now and He forgives our past! He died on the cross for all my ‘should haves’ and they are forgiven! Yes, there still are consequences to the should haves! But I am forgiven! Today is a clean slate! Today I choose to practice verse 23 “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” This is present tense! It means from this day forward! We do not really get to start over, but we can start fresh today.
Here is a couple of books on starting over from ChristianBook. The first one I highly recommend because it is also a Bible study which I did last year. The link to the ChristianBook is also below. Remember clicking on the links and making a purchase enables me to keep this website going at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
| Starting Over: Your Life Beyond Regrets By Dave Ferguson & Jon Ferguson If only I had loved more, been smarter about money, contributed to a big cause. . . . Regrets can be overwhelming—but it’s never too late for a fresh start! Break the “sorry cycle” by recognizing, releasing, and letting God redeem your mistakes. Includes a new chapter and a discussion guide. Paperback. How to Ruin your Life: and Starting Over When You Do By Eric Geiger A few small selfish decisions can implode the reputation and integrity of the best Christians—and none of us is above risk. Looking at the story of David in Scripture, Geiger explores how to “ruin your life” before you do—or find hope and grace if it’s already happened. |
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