God is not a finger pointing God.
He is an open arms God.
It’s easy to get caught up in the “should-haves,” isn’t it?
“I should have tried harder…
Should have spent more time with family…
Should have saved more money…
Should have been kinder…
Should have taken better care of myself…”
Ugh. These should haves usually send us down a slippery water slide into a pool of regrets and sadness. And the more time we dwell on what we think we should have done, or wished we would have done differently, the deeper we plunge into the deep end.
So, scoot in here, and let my heart remind yours …
Yes. There are different decisions you could have made as you grew up—as you are still growing up. And yes, some mistakes were made along the way.
That’s life. We’ve all been there. None of us are immune to not always getting life right.
And … here’s the refreshing news …
God is not the one who is continually waving that list of should haves in front of your beautiful face. If you have apologized when necessary, made amends when possible, and asked for God’s forgiveness, that list has been wiped clean. You can stop diving into the deep end to try and find it, bring it back to the surface, blow life into it, and remind yourself that you messed up.
My friend. Your regrets and “I wish I would haves” don’t need to keep swirling in your heart. You’ve been given a life jacket of forgiveness and mercy and love that washes away all of it. You just need to grab that life jacket.
You can stop fretting over those rough waters. Stop creating waves in the peace God offers you.
He’s not pointing any fingers at you, shaming you, or reminding you of what you did wrong.
Our God is an arms outstretched, embracing, inviting you in for the hug God.
Apologize. Make amends. Seek forgiveness. Let it go.
“Christ did not come to tell us how terrible we are but how forgiven we are.”
(Eugene Peterson, “As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God”)
“They’ll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.” (Hebrews 8:12 MSG)
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)
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