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“I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.” (Psalm 77:11).
I’ve known many women who have struggled with the if-only’s of their past … If only I had attended school … If only I had made a different decision … If only ….
For many years after I accepted Christ, I thought, “If only I had become a Christian sooner!” I reasoned that if I’d known Jesus sooner, I would have had God’s guidelines for marriage and for raising our two daughters. The almost ten years of marriage before I knew Christ were rough years indeed. And adding two children hadn’t helped! Can you relate?
If-only thinking is counterproductive. It breeds regret, and remorse, because it is impossible to change the past. We must follow God’s Word and deal with what is now, true, and real … what is happening today. There is no value in rehashing the past. And when we succumb to if-only thinking, we fail to acknowledge God’s role in our past.
Romans 8:28-29 is God’s promise that He will overrule the bad of the past and use it for good to make us more like Christ. By His transforming power, God will redeem even the most painful and perplexing moments of your past.
While it’s not healthy to ponder the negatives of our past, it’s good to note these exceptions to reflections on your past. It is good to …
Remember lessons learned from our past mistakes. Those lessons grow us in wisdom.
Recall God’s past wondrous works and faithfulness. Our faith is strengthened when we recount how God sustained and carried us through our trials.
Scripture encourages us to meditate on God’s goodness in the past whenever the trials of the present feel overwhelming. “I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old” (Psalm 77:11). The next time you’re tempted to entertain if-only thinking and look back at your past with regret… instead recall and give thanks for God’s faithfulness!
RESPOND
Lord, I can be hard on myself for past choices I made. Thank You that You have forgiven me and You love me. Please help me release the past and embrace Your good plan for my life. Guide me through this new year according to Your will and ways. Amen.
RENEWING RESOURCES
A Woman After God’s Own Heart helps you experience real peace and joy as you follow God in every area of your life–and become a woman after His heart. With warmth and grace, Elizabeth shares practical, scriptural insights in this book on how you can pursue God’s priorities.
REFLECTION
What are three ways I can recount God’s faithfulness to me in past difficulties?
REMEMBER
God was with you in the past … He is with you in the present … and He will be with you tomorrow (Psalm 73:23-24).
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
We don’t know her name, so let’s call her “Mrs. Noah.” She spent her days loving her husband, Noah, raising their three sons, and caring for their home. Daily life was simple, until the call came from the Lord, “I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you” (Genesis 6:18).
When something difficult happens in your life, are you ever tempted to ask, “What good could come out of this?” The event looks like a disaster. It feels like a disaster. Therefore, we quickly conclude, it is a disaster! But God did not forget His people who were suffering in Babylon. And, my friend, He won’t forget you!
Too many times in the past I’ve told others “I’m fine” in order to hide my pain and sorrows from them. The truth is, my thoughts pulled me down so far that, in private, tears regularly streamed down my face. Are you constantly thinking negative thoughts? Being a woman after God’s own heart is all about “minding your mind.”