You are probably familiar with these lines about sad words. "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!' ” (Maud Miller, John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892) Francis Bret Harte's response to that, in Mrs. Judge Jenkins, is "More sad are these we daily see: 'It is, but hadn’t ought to be.' "
We may get caught in this sadness if we repeat to ourselves over and over, "If only . . . " When children play games, they sometimes extend grace to one another in the form of a do-over, offering another chance to do it right or at least better. Life seldom offers us do-overs, although many times an unlearned lesson is repeated in a somewhat different form; then if we are able to see the similarity and make some changes in our responses to the situation, we may see a happier outcome. Whether we get that opportunity or not, we aren't benefited with too much looking back and lamenting, "If only . . . If we are to enjoy the full use of our mental powers, we cannot re-live the past as if it were today.
We may get caught in this sadness if we repeat to ourselves over and over, "If only . . . " When children play games, they sometimes extend grace to one another in the form of a do-over, offering another chance to do it right or at least better. Life seldom offers us do-overs, although many times an unlearned lesson is repeated in a somewhat different form; then if we are able to see the similarity and make some changes in our responses to the situation, we may see a happier outcome. Whether we get that opportunity or not, we aren't benefited with too much looking back and lamenting, "If only . . . If we are to enjoy the full use of our mental powers, we cannot re-live the past as if it were today.
It is equally sad to ruin our hopes for what lies ahead by fearfully wondering, "What if . . ." If we were to spend every waking hour imagining our future, we still could not consider every contingency; there are just too many variables. Unless we are actively solving a problem that is certain to present itself, we are borrowing trouble. Jesus reminded us not to do that with these words, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34) Try as we might, we cannot live the future as if it were today.
So that leaves us with the NOW. "Yesterday is history," someone has said. "Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift, and that's why it is called the present."
Live your present to the fullest!
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Quotes of Whittier and Harte from http://www.bartleby.com/100/439.html
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Quotes of Whittier and Harte from http://www.bartleby.com/100/439.html
Art from http://www.sxc.hu/
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