Have
you ever heard the saying, “You can’t unscramble eggs”? It’s a very true
statement when cooking breakfast and even more true when referring to mistakes
you’ve made. We’ve all messed up and most likely have regrets. What
do you wish you could go back and re-do? Your past mistakes can either
liberate or incarcerate you. How do you deal with mistakes of the
past? I’ve got really good news! A verse I quote often is Romans
8:28. It says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” That
means in Christ, even the worst of mistakes or situations can be
redeemed. No matter what your failure, weakness, sin, or circumstance,
God can work right in the middle of it. He can bring you peace in the
middle of chaos and free you from guilt and shame. There is no guilt or
shame for those in Christ because the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus has
set us (Romans 8:1-2). Some wish they could go back and spend neglected
time with loved ones. Maybe you worked too much or said things you
shouldn’t have. Perhaps, you caused heartache or have been hurt in a
relationship. The desire to re-do a bad decision doesn’t always make the
bad memories of it go away. Whatever your regret
may be, Jesus can help. Maybe you can’t “unscramble eggs” but Jesus can
make all things new (Revelation 21:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Peter
was one of those guys in Scripture who, I’m sure, wished he could have some
“do-over’s”. Scripture says he broke down and wept after he realized he
had betrayed Jesus (Mark 14:72). Oh how Peter longed to take that
back! After this, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him.
Peter replied “yes” three times (interesting since Peter denied Jesus three
times). Jesus forgave Peter and restored him to ministry, asking him to
shepherd His people (John 21:7-17). Peter went on to preach less than two
months later and three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41)! It seems
God used Peter despite his shameful past and mistakes.
So
how do you recover from past mistakes, be useful to God’s Kingdom and fulfill
His purposes for you? If you have made the mistakes or sinned, you first have
to receive His forgiveness by repenting. 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us,
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death.” You must be sincerely sorry for your
sins and ask God to forgive you. Forgiveness from God is the only way to
truly move past your haunting past. God “forgives all your sins and heals
all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3). Even if you didn’t cause the
problem of the past God can still heal you from it. He pardons sin and
forgives transgressions with delight and mercy (Micah 7:18).
Some
people say, “I have no problem accepting God’s forgiveness. I just can’t
forgive myself.” You know, they are right. They can’t forgive
themselves and neither can you and I. Only God can truly forgive
you. But you have to receive that forgiveness and walk in it. Stop
saying “what if”. We all have “what if’s”. Scripture tells us to
take our thoughts captive and make them obey Christ (2 Corinthians
10:5). The Message paraphrase of that verse tells us to “use our
powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers
erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and
impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.” Paul even said to
focus on, “forgetting the past and look forward to the future” (Philippians
3:13). Regret and condemnation must be replaced with forgiveness and
truth. Maybe you have some regrets, but doesn’t everyone? Paul said
we not only share in sufferings but also in the comfort that God brings (2
Corinthians 1:7). His compassion never fails and mercies are new
every morning because He is faithful. (Lamentation 3:22-23).
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