Sooner or Later...

"Sooner or Later we give up all hope of having a better yesterday."

As soon as I walked into the "family" meeting at a nearby hospital where one of my beloved sons was being treated for addiction, the above statement written on the blackboard quickly caught my eye.

It took hold of my thoughts and sort of shook me hard. A reality check to be sure. Nothing I said, nothing I did would change the past and give me better memories or stories to share. It also helped me quit thinking "If only I" or sing the old familiar tune called "Coulda, woulda, shoulda".

I always found this a difficult balance though. Misunderstanding the guidelines of faith, I often found myself climbing back onto the horse of guilt and trying to balance all the saddle bags that came with it.

It's only when I put everything at the foot of the cross and let God completely control my life, am I capable of leaving the past in the past and to learn from it. Only then can I grasp that having a better yesterday is never going to happen and it's okay. It's only when I remember that what happens in anyone else's lives, including mine and my sons, is between God and the person. It's not for me to control, manage or vary. Reshaping everyone else's life isn't in my job desription.

The above statement keeps my life in check. With that, the following verse completes it:

"But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me."

Phil 3:13 NLV