What if you had today to live over again?

Crazy question, isn’t it?

What if you had today to live over again?

What would you do differently?

How would you change it?

Would you do all the same things again?

Is there anything you would say that you did not?

What about what you did say? Do you think you would say that differently?

What about what you did? Would you do something differently?

Why? Or, Why not?

 

Consider Jesus

Jesus did everything that pleased His Father. He never did anything less that good, holy, and right. He loved well. Time after time after time He cared well. He always said the right thing. Jesus knew when to speak and not speak. His motives were pure. He never left a person thinking it would have been better had he done something differently. Listen to how Isaiah described Jesus:

He will take delight in obeying the Lord (Isaiah 11:3).

Isn’t that like the best and greatest description of someone’s life ever? He takes delight in obeying the Lord. Another way to translate that: He takes delight in the fear of the Lord. In other words, Jesus always lived with total respect for God. Again, I ask you, Wouldn’t that be nice?

Notice, what Jesus specifically says in the New Testament:

“…I always do those things that please him” (John 8:29)

Whenever you do everything to please the Lord, you will also love your neighbor well. The Second Great Commandment connects to the First Great Commandment. If you fulfill the First, you will also fulfill the Second, and vice versa.

 

Back to Our Question: What if you had today to live over again…

If you had today to live over, what would be different?

• Would you worry less? If you knew what you knew now, would you have spent less time worrying?
• How about what you said? Would you have spoken up, expressed your thoughts better, or chosen not to say a particular thing? Maybe you would have chosen a cheerful word or an encouraging sentiment. On the contrary, possibly, you would have chosen a different sentence altogether that built up instead of tore down.
• Would you have more effectively demonstrated love for someone? Maybe a lengthier hug, longer embrace, more genuine smile, or an authentic greeting.
• As you think about your work, your transportation, your leisure, and many other areas, what would you have done differently?

 

There’s No Control Z or Apple Z command in life.

Aren’t you glad for the Undo command on your computer or device. Wow, has that been a lifesaver at times! Many times probably.

Now imagine if there was one of those commands for daily living. Wouldn’t that be super cool? Just think about it. You could use this command and undo a conversation, change a decision while driving, edit an encounter with someone, or get something accomplished.

Ohmyword that would be incredible!

But, my friends, sadly there is no such thing. Once we think something, say something, or do something, we cannot undo it. No amount of effort will correct what we have done as if it never happened. We may be able to clean something up or extend some kind of effort to fix something; however, we can never go back to undo it.

 

Living without Regrets

If we cannot undo something, how do we live without regrets? How do we take advantage of every minute? How do we rejoice in the decisions of our day?

Let me suggest three ways.

First, live for the glory of God. If you read me very often, you know that I love to explain this as “Love God supremely and love your neighbor sincerely.” Live out the two greatest commandments to the best of your ability. Will you do that perfectly? Of course not! However, it will put you in a great position to live without regrets.

Second, live humbly as you can. Instead of living from the world’s wisdom which includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of live, where we strive to please ourselves (known as selfish ambition and envy), we seek to put the interests of the other person ahead of our own. Imagine that! We work for the beneficial good of the other person always. If you would do that, you would live with much fewer regrets.

Third, savor the moments of life. Have you ever gotten through with a meal and consciously thought that you ate so fast that you did not get to savor the taste? I have. Yes, you are full of food; however, it was not as enjoyable as it could have been. This illustration applies to life in general as well. Try not to get in such a big hurry that you fail to enjoy the people, situations, evidences of God’s good providence, demonstrations of God’s grace, and specific incidences of God’s mercy and love.

 

Who are your people? What are your moments?

Who are the people of your life? The movers and shakers, the genuinely caring people that love you, and the wise individuals who help you? What are their names? Your family? Friends? Church family? Neighbors?

These are the people who matter the most. Yes, be kind to the stranger, give grace to others, and live in the moment, but do not let the strangers around you wreck your day. They may cut you off in traffic, not serve you well in a restaurant, or treat you poorly. That is on them. But, these people do not have to rule you. Get past these moments as quickly as possible. Smile, be grateful for God’s grace to you, remember those in your life you love, and keep moving. IF you allow the memories of their rudeness or sin against you to stay in your thoughts, you let them rob you of the moment in front of you.

Instead, spend your time with the people who matter the most. Have an extra cup of coffee with a family member. Watch your children and grandchildren do their thing and take it in. Volunteer in your church. Serve often and creatively. Smile a lot. Laugh a bit. Do something kind to or for the ones around you.

Forgive big and often. Serve faithfully and creatively. Express your love vividly and concisely.

Love God supremely.

Love your neighbor sincerely.

If you do these things, you will find that you have much fewer days and moments where you would like an undo command so that you can redo it.

 

Image Credit Pawel Janiak

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