If Only...

Regret. Its a painful part of life. One that overcomes many Christians. See, we are striving to live for a Holy God, and when we look back on the things we've done to disappoint Him, we feel unworthy.
Though we've asked God's forgiveness and received it, we allow the guilt of the past to overtake us, and we stop living in the present. So we are accomplishing nothing for God. Hours, days, and years are wasted in the land of "If Only."
We work our every scenario in our minds and tell ourselves, if only I'd done this differently or that differently. If only I hadn't dated that person. If only I hadn't gone to that party. If only I hadn't made this choice or that.
The problem is that no matter how much we think about these things, we can never go back and change them. Yesterday is gone, and good or bad, we can't live it again.
But we can change how we are living today. We can determine that everything we do will be for God's glory.
Psalm 103:12 tells us, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
When we ask God's forgiveness He removes our sin. Don't let a sin that God has forgiven rule your life. Acts 3:19 tells us that when we repent our sins are blotted out. God doesn't remember them anymore.
One of my favorite songs is called, "Forgiven, Forgotten, Forever." I'll leave you today to ponder the words of the chorus:

Forgiven, forgotten, forever
They're all under the blood
When we confess all our sins,
He will not remember them.
They're forgiven, forgotten, forever.