I enjoy hiking. There is something about being out in nature and getting away from “civilization” to unwind from the busy week. Most of the time, I hike like most people, which is really more “trail walking.” My best discoveries and favorite memories happen when I get off the trail and explore. I usually come back with some extra memories of the hike, like a few scrapes and bruises or a blown-out knee. But, because of the joys of the hike, I soon forget the scrapes and bruises and remember the joys of the hike.
Last week I wrote about decluttering life and forgetting the past. I confess this is very difficult for me. As I attempt to move on from my failures, there are constant reminders of all the scrapes and bruises. Sometimes the bruises hurt so bad, that it becomes the focus of my being. The more we focus on our failures, the more it hurts, and the more failures we begin to remember. That is how Satan works. The greatest enemy we face today is distraction. We live in a world of constant distraction. Most of that distraction focuses on how much better off everyone else is, the things we don’t have, the mistakes we have made, and anything else to get our minds off of Jesus.
I am listening to some David Crowder music as I write this post (an attempt to keep out more distractions by distracting me from the distractions), and a line from his song “How He Loves” caught my attention. “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that he loves us.” In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”
It is easy to say, “Forget the past.” It is not so easy to actually do it. “Forget the past!” The problem with that is we are still focused on the past, the very thing we are trying to forget. When we focus on “the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” when we focus on the good things, the great memories of the hiking trip, and the love that God has for us, we “don’t have time to maintain these regrets.” Most of the time I find myself focusing on the past and being frustrated with myself it is because I am empty and have lost focus. When I am empty, all the bad memories, those scrapes and bruises, come rushing back in, usually stronger than they were before. When we stay focused on our God and “seek first the kingdom of God,” we stay full, and there is no room left for the regrets.
Read the Bible, pray, and find a mentor or someone to study the Bible with. Keep photos on your fridge and your phone that remind you of the joys and remind you of the future you have in Christ. Speak to yourself out loud the victories you have in Christ and that you are a child of God. Fill yourself up and focus on the love of God, and you won’t “have time to maintain these regrets.”
