Looking To The Present

I don’t know about you, but I have struggled a lot with wishing for the past. I often catch myself thinking about mistakes that I made or opportunities that I missed and wondering what life would be like if things had happened differently. Would I be better off now? Would I be happier? Would I be farther ahead?

These questions plague my mind day in and day out. Sometimes, I get to the point where I am just so full of regret that I feel depression begin to creep in and take over my mind even more. Needless to say, wishing for the past can put one on a dangerous downward spiral.

I have been caught in this cycle of regret recently, and I felt lead to share what God has been teaching me through this process. I hope that what I have learned can encourage you and give you strength to fight the lies of an alluring alternate past.

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The Bible says:

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” for it is not wise to ask such questions.”

– Ecclesiastes 7:10

Now, while God explicitly says that thinking of the past is not something we should be doing, it is far easier said than done. It just seems like no matter how hard we try to push thoughts of regret out of our heads, they always come rushing back with full force. I believe this is because the enemy knows just how powerful regret is. When we have our eyes set ahead of us, we are focused on Christ. But if the devil can get us to look over our shoulder and gaze into the “what could have been,” we lose Christ as our priority. Our past becomes our weakness.

This is why the Bible says that thinking on things of the past is not wise. Regret is powerful, and it can cause you to stray from God’s path. Regret robs you of life, steals your joy, hinders your service to Christ, lies to you, and distracts you from the present life that God wants you to live.

But the fact of the matter is, what “could have been” was not God’s will for you, and the devil loves to make you feel mad about that. He loves to taunt you with ideas of how your life could have been better if God did not impose His will on you.

But friends, God’s will is perfect. His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are our ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). In fact, the Bible says that His ways are higher than our own, meaning that He knows infinitely better than we do. Just because your past could have been different does not mean that it would have been better. In fact, I can say with utmost confidence that your alternate future would not have been better, because it would have been of your design and not God’s. Everything that happens has a purpose attached to it, and that purpose is for your betterment.

In addition to making you doubt God, the devil loves to bring up the past in order to keep you from being close to God’s work. You see, our God is not a god of the past, but of the present. There is a reason He is called the Great “I Am” (notice the present tense). He lives in the here and now, and He wants us to be living there with Him!

Do you want to be living where God is not working?

He wants you to be moving forward, to be becoming the version of yourself that is closest to Him. You cannot become that by trying to stay where you once were.

Why do you think God commands us, not to think on the past, but to think of “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable (Philippians 4:8)?” When we think of those things, the past becomes less and less powerful of a weapon against us.

So, when you feel the devil trying to make you regret, remember these things:

• You are where you are meant to be. Do not worry about alternate endings, you are already living what God has deemed best.
• God lives in the present, do not be deceived into living in the past.
• Think of things that are honoring to the Lord. The more you do this, the less powerful doubt becomes.
• And, last but not least, pray. Tell God your feelings and pour out your heart to Him. He will not leave you in despair.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

– Isaiah 26:3

Below is a prayer that I have been saying over myself recently which I feel has helped me withstand the thoughts that the devil has been sending my way. I hope you find it helpful as well.