No Regrets, Moving Forward


            A few days ago a dear friend of mine sent me an email because she knew someone who thought they saw me in Florida last weekend and she wanted to know if we were returning to FL.  Obviously it was a misunderstanding.  Jokingly but true, I do have a doppelganger who my sister has once met and I’ve ran into several who have known her over the years.  Her name is Annie and I’ve been joking that’s who was in FL last weekend.
            Funny mishap as it may be, the whole thing got me thinking if I would ever return to Florida.  Even though it feels we have had a bit of a slow and bumpy start in Ohio, things are moving forward.  We know this is where God wants us to be at this time in our lives.  We’re members now at our church.  I’m enjoying living in a land with little to no humidity.  My skin and hair are thanking me for it.  We look forward to eventually move closer to the church, but we have no regrets.  The only way I’d move back to FL is if God told us too, and honestly I don’t see that happening.  I have no regrets for living in FL for 13.5 years.  It was where God wanted us for that season.
            Too many people live their lives in the land of regrets.  It is like they are walking backwards, and wondering why they can never seem to get past the choices they’ve made in life.  They are trying to move forward but keep looking back.  When Lot and his wife were fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:26) they were told not to look back.  Lot’s wife did and she was turned into a pillar of salt.   For years I questioned God on this.  Symbolically salt in the Bible tends to be a good thing.  However some years ago God finally revealed to me what this symbolized.  In order for Lot’s wife to get turned into a pillar of salt the “water” had to leave her.  Water in the Bible is often a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  Continuing to look back will only sap you of the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  To move forward you need to be saturated in the presence of God.  Too much ‘salt’ makes any dish disgusting.
            My husband and I made a choice a long time ago that we were going to live our lives in such a way that we had no regrets.  For the most part I can say I’ve done this.  Opposed to many people I’ve met; my regrets are few and far between.  They are in my past and I’ve chosen to live my life forward.  You can’t be like Lot’s wife, and think you’re going to move forward.  Though time may continue keeping your mind on what “should have been, could have been, or what you think ought to have been” will keep you in bondage to your past.  Make the decision to turn around today.  Make the decision to press on to your future, and leave your past behind.  It’s okay to have fond memories, but in order to enjoy your life your eyes must be facing forward.  Let your eyes be fixed on Jesus today.  Let your eyes continue to be forward as you run your race.
            Remember God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited.

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