If asked whether or not we always did our best, most of us would probably ashamedly answer, “No, I did not.” And, if asked whether or not our conversations and actions may have caused others unnecessary hurt, again most of us would probably sadly answer, “Probably so.”
Such mistakes in judgment and regrets of our past often become heavy self-punishing baggage, crippling our journey with Jesus and others. And sometimes the burdensome baggage is nothing more than the nagging belief that we could do better if given another chance.
Whatever its contents, the baggage of self-deprecation cannot be easily dismissed, for it is the consequence of mistaken judgments and unwise decisions that have left painful wounds and deep scars in both our psyche and relationships with others.
Many years ago, Louisa Fletcher Tarkington, authored a perceptive poem entitled, “The Land of Beginning Again.” It begins and ends with a verse which gives voice to the regret we feel when we realize what we have done or have not done.
I wish there were some wonderful place
Called the land of beginning again
Where all our mistakes,
And all our heartaches,
And all of our poor selfish grief,
Could be dropped like a shabby
Old coat at the door,
And never be put on again.
And I ask, should not being Christian in relationship with God through Jesus Christ, make us uniquely equipped to forgive (let go) and leave the past behind? And does not this inability to forgive ourselves contradict everything we profess to believe about the forgiving, healing, redeeming power of Jesus Christ? I am convinced that it does.
This is what the apostle Paul was referencing when he wrote, “But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind (forgiving-letting go) and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14).
I hear Paul encouraging us not to look back in ways that keep us from going forward, in ways that make us a prisoner of our past mistakes and sins, in ways that prevent us from experiencing the healing (letting go) of old hurts and painful memories.
Yes, there is great value in looking back to learn, to affirm the places, faces, and circumstances from which we have come, and to remember what and who has shaped our lives. Yes, there is a time to look back if done so with a positive learning purpose.
But if our looking back is clouded with a sense of self-deprecating failure and guilt, our efforts to grow in our relationships with God and others will most certainly be hampered, if not completely blocked. That is why Jesus’ invitation is such good news, assuring us that carrying such baggage is totally unnecessary. For Jesus daily invites us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (forgiveness, set free).” (Matthew 11:28).
Yes, the pain of mistaken judgments and regrets may shadow us, robbing us of freedom and potential, and hampering our ability to use our spiritual energy and gifts for enjoying the today and moving with joyous anticipation into the new tomorrows of our life. And, YES, the possibility of new beginnings is always God’s invitational good news to every one of us, no exceptions.
And so, I say, instead of fretting our failures to forgive the past, let us choose to press onward toward maturing faith and Jesus-like character and behavior. God waits, ready to help us gather the regretful pass into a self-forgiveness that opens the door into new tomorrows and new beginnings. Amen!
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – November 15, 2023
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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