Shepastor: “You’ll know better next time”

10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.Pressing on Toward the Goal 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 10-14 NIV

The other day as I was coming out of the grocery store, I saw a young mother with her two children. One was sitting in the grocery cart and the other was standing over the side of the cart sobbing. The mother was comforting him concerning a bad decision he’d made. With a gentle tone and a reassuring voice she said, “Honey, everybody makes mistakes. You’ll know better next time.”

As I listened to that mother, I thought about how much it hurts when we realize that we’ve made a bad choice, gone in the wrong direction or made a mess of something. The mother’s words were wise, encouraging and relayed a profound message: we all make mistakes, but learn from what you’ve done and press on! Weep for a moment, but don’t stay there. If you have made a mess, ask for God’s guidance and wisdom to clean it up and then turn the rest over to Him.

You cannot change the past. You can, however, move wisely into the future. Learn the valuable lessons of the valley classroom and determine not to repeat a grade. Press toward the mark of God’s high calling upon your life. Release the guilt, release, the shame, release the sorrow. Turn it over to Jesus. He will make everything all right. Press toward the mark of God’s high calling upon your life. The dash between life and death is too short to dwell in regret and defeat too long.

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Until next Wednesday
In faith, hope and perseverance,
Pastor Chris