“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, NIV).

Let’s play “fill in the blank.” Okay? You ready; here we go…

Think about some of the things you’ve done in your life for which you ended up saying:

• I should have known better.
• I could have done better.
• I should have been there.
• I shouldn’t have said that.
• I shouldn’t have done that.
• What was I thinking?

So, how did you do? It’s a tough game, but the answers are based on our choices. Let’s face it; we all make bad choices for which we often end up paying a hefty price. Our motivations for those choices can include: greed, passion, conflict avoidance, anger… again, you fill in the blank.

Eventually, our bad choices catch up to us and we are filled with regret (wishing you hadn’t done something), then remorse (sorrow for having done it), all followed by suffering the consequences (accountability for what we’ve done).

In the process, we end up wasting a great deal of our lives by being loaded down with regret and remorse. However, there is a way to break free from this bondage so that we can once again move forward with our lives in a good way. That is, to bring Christ into our situations and our decisions.

In the Bible verse above, John points out that when we turn away from our regrettable choices and stop doing or saying things that are wrong, that God forgives us so that we can build on His character going forward. And, once we invite Him into the process, we can also learn to forgive ourselves so that we have the God-given courage to move with Him down a path of better choices.

David McCall

Executive Pastor