Regrets I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
Lyrics that
I imagine are instantly recognizable, they are of course from the song, ‘My Way.’
("My
Way" is Paul Anka's English-language version of the French song
"Comme d'habitude," released by Frank Sinatra in 1969.)
As well as a
karaoke favourite it is also a popular song at funerals.
The lyrics
of course, while they may reflect a rugged individualism, sit very much at odds
with the Christian message.
Next week
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. The broad
concept of Lent is to consider the story of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness.
And yes, you are supposed to immediately be thinking of the forty years desert
wanderings of the Israelites freed from Egyptian slavery. (The Bible Project is currently exploring the
Exodus theme in their latest series of podcasts & videos. The Exodus Way)
And in both
the desert wandering by the Israelites and by Jesus's experience in the wilderness there is one outstanding feature.
In fact, we are told explicitly in Jesus’ case, Matthew 4.1 ‘Then Jesus was
led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.’
With the Israelites
they also pick up this same theme and a recurring Scriptural theme of facing a
test, a temptation. This begins with the story of Adam and Eve. And like Adam
and Eve everyone fails, Abraham, Moses, David, Saul, the list goes on and on.
And what
about us?
Those serving time in prison are manifestly those who have failed the test and given into temptation. However, none of us are exempt from having given into temptation.
What a joy,
what a comfort it is to read in Hebrews 4.15 these words, ‘For we do not
have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have
one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.’
And then this
from 1 John 1.2.1 ‘My dear children, I write this to you so that you will
not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus
Christ, the Righteous One.’
Let us circle
back to the verse of ‘My Way’ and with regards to regrets. I don’t know about
you, but I have had more than just a few. And they sit there, nagging and niggling away. It is not having regrets but what we do with them. Perhaps there is something we can learn from that familiar story we know as the
‘Prodigal Son.’ He was restored back
into relationship, welcomed back into the family (even if not by his older
brother!)
Did Satan whisper
in his ear, you really messed up, you made some awful choices, do you really
think you are truly and fully restored back into the family?
At times like this we need to heed the way Jesus countered the Devil, and the temptations put before him, by referencing Scripture, the eternal Word of God.
Here is just
a clutch of Scriptures that assure us of God’s love for us, yes, for you, no
matter how much you may have messed up, no matter how deep you got into the
muck and mire of the pigsty.
1 John 3:1:
"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God!"
Romans
8:38-39: "Nothing can separate us from the love of God."
Romans 5:8:
"God shows his love for us while we were still sinners."
Psalm
103:8-12: "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
abounding in love."
Hebrews
11:1: "Defining faith as the substance of things hoped for and the
evidence of things not seen."
You are
welcomed, restored, redeemed and more loved than you could ever imagine.
Allow that truth to sit deep into your heart and soul, do not be identified by what others may say of you, or by what the Devil may whisper in your ear, but by what God says about you in the Scriptures. Take any regrets you may have and give them over to Jesus. Revel in your relationship with Jesus, don't remain in your regrets.
And let us
be ready to visit the pigsty’s that people find themselves in. Let us tell them that no matter how bad they
smell and how they came to be there, that there is a welcome awaiting for them!
No comments:
Post a Comment