How to Find Peace and Joy When You’ve Fallen and Failed

It’s easy to be consumed by our failures isn’t it?

We rehearse continually in our minds the “if-onlys.”

If you’ve lived long enough to be able to read and understand this then you’ve lived long enough to fail.

Regret takes over and your mind fixates on how you missed rather than what you gained.  A sure recipe for feeling miserable and wasting time.

Because in case you hadn’t noticed you can’t fix yesterday.  Trust me I’ve tried.  Doesn’t work.

But you can do something about today and tomorrow.

Paul writes, “I forget what is behind and look forward to what is ahead.”

Paul had plenty of “if-onlys” he could have fixated on.  Yet he chose instead to look forward to what God promises.

Think about what you really need right now and a promise of God that fulfills it.

Ask him for it.  Then picture that he’s giving it to you right now.  Anticipate his promise.

Then start living in that expectation.

Feel the joy as the regret sloughs off and your mind sees your dream.

Move forward in renewed strength to see those promises become reality.

And forget the “if-onlys”.  Not a fun way to live.

I’m not wasting any more time on them.

Got a lot more fun things to do.

*Philippians 3:13