Have you ever done something you were ashamed of?

Have you ever said something to your spouse, child or parent you wish you could take back but it’s too late? The damage is done.

If you focus on the mistakes you made, any wrong done to you, disappointments and loves lost it’s extremely hard to feel happy or to trust anyone. If, however, you look back and remember all the love and kindness God has blessed you with even through your failures, great sorrow and difficulty then you will have a hope and an excitement for all God has planned for you.

You may ask “How am I supposed to just forget about all the bad stuff?” Truth is you can’t! But we are supposed to learn from it and work through it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Are we supposed to just forgive everyone no matter what they have done to us? Yes, but depending on the offense we don’t always have to continue associating with them regularly. Forgiveness of offenses is a chapter within its own self.

God doesn’t expect us to just go around whistling “Dixie” and pretending everything is just fine all the time. He knows we grieve. He knows we get angry. He knows we just plain out get tired and frustrated sometimes. HE KNOWS!

The Bible is filled with people just like you and me who have gone through hardship, loss, failures and sin in their lives. Each chapter in the book of Psalms flows with emotions ranging from great victory, praise and jubilation to heartache and defeat. For years and years God has been listening to man and believe me He has heard ever complaint, every confession, every angry tirade and every groan of pain imaginable. Nothing you tell Him will shock Him into turning His back on you.

Just look at the life of Jesus. In all four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will find the life and ministry of Christ was filled with daily struggles. The people Christ came to minister to were sick, lost, and possessed. Christ himself had no comfortable life. He was constantly ridiculed, insulted and even tempted. He lived without a place to call His own home on this earth. Christ was homeless.

One of my favorite scriptures in Psalms is Psalms 40:1-5

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
    and put their trust in him.

⁴ Blessed is the one
    who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
    to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us. None can compare with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many to declare.

These lines of scripture exemplify my life both past and present. I could never begin to try listing all of my mistakes and failures because there are too many. I might attempt to remember every hurt and heartache I have experienced, but it would be a short list compared to all the blessings God has shown to me. I have failed Him and disappointed Him but yet He still lifts me and sets my feet on the rock. Why?

Because that is who God is. God is love. He doesn’t hold grudges or unforgiveness in His heart. He doesn’t go back over our past and remind us of every mistake and failure.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

God has brought you to where you are. He has allowed you to come to this very place in your life. You can choose to stay stuck in the miry pit of sadness, regret, anger or bitterness. You can choose to climb up out of that pit put your feet on the rock and trust God. The choice is yours. You will have to make that choice every time you start to hear the enemies voice of defeat and discouragement telling you “It’s too late” or that “you can’t do it!” Remind yourself “blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”

Remember you are where God has brought you for a purpose. Your life consists of more than shame, regret or anger over past failures, hurts and mistakes. Peter denied Christ three times but, he got up out of his pit of self-pity and shame and served Christ victoriously. Take your life the ugly past the good parts of the past and use it all to bring glory to God.

Where, but here?