Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Where is the Reset Button?

Where is the Reset Button?
Posted by Michelle  

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
   - Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

Have you ever wished that life were more like a video game? Growing up I would try to keep up with my brother by playing with the cool video games that he enjoyed. Without fail, though, at some pint in the game, I would get stuck. The boss monster would be too strong, I’d fumble a jump, or I’d just get lost. Luckily, I had two comforts. Number one, I could always reset the game and try again, or, two, I’d get my brother to help me out of the rough patch. 

In my life, there have been many times that I wished I lived in a video game. It sounds odd, I know, but the thought of starting over whenever I made mistake or went down the wrong path in real life was so appealing. 

Perhaps you have experienced something like that too. One day you suddenly realize that you are exactly in the situation that you never thought you would be drawn to. Maybe you said something that couldn’t be unsaid, or maybe you are just lost in a world where you can’t decide what is right or wrong. 

I’m sure all of us have felt the sting of regret. The thing about regret, though, is that sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that feeling regret means that there is no hope of fixing things. So, we try to justify our choices, rather than feel the regret, and keep going. Once we hit rock bottom, though, that regret quickly turns into despair when we can’t see any hope of changing or undoing our mistakes. 

But there is always hope. We don’t realize it, but there actually is a reset button in real life too, and there is always Someone ready to help us navigate the rough patches of life. God is always ready to press the reset button when we come to Him with our regrets and mistakes. We mess up, hurt ourselves and others, but God is able to wipe us clean and connect with us as if it never happened. Can we navigate this crazy life and all the ups and downs brought on by people’s free will? I certainly can’t - not without becoming collateral damage. It is such a relief to have a God who can forgive those regrets that we stumble into, and, even greater than that, a God who then shows us how to avoid those traps and mistakes in life that would eventually become regrets in the future. 


So, where are you right now? Are you stuck in a pattern of running from the feeling of regret by justifying the things that are ultimately damaging you and others? Are you tired of always taking the wrong turn in life, over and over again? Press the reset button by giving up your regrets to God. “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning,” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV). I am so glad that they are, because I need his mercy every day. At any moment you can turn your day, your year, or your life around by giving up your regrets and mistakes to God. He knows how video games work. 

1 comment:

  1. Michelle, what a beautiful concept. I needed to be reminded of this very true and beautiful principle. Thank you for the reminder of God's grace!

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