Wouldn’t it be great to wake up one day having not a care in the world and having no regrets about what has happened in the past. Just to live for the present unshackled and totally free.

Okay, let’s be honest… we have all reflected on certain events in our lives. Those things we would rather forget. We can’t rewrite the history of our lives, but there is an answer… RESTORATION!

Maybe you have done some restoration… getting some old object and making it like new again. Some, like to get old rusty workshop tools and clean them up… removing rust and making them work again. Others spend hours restoring old cars. One event that fascinates me are those steam fests where you see steam tractors restored and functioning again.

The Bible records the captivity of Israel and Judah under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Despite the disobedience which caused this, God’s goodness and love wanted His people to still have a fresh start back in their own country. God declared He would restore their fortunes and make them prosper again. (Jer. 32:42-44, 33:10-11 NIV).

From a Christian standpoint, I find it encouraging that God loves to get hold of our lives and restore them. What happened in the past were choices we made, and we should not make excuses.

But the important thing is this… God does not dwell on our past and nor should we! The past is over and we cannot rewrite it! God sees the present as a new day of opportunity with new plans.

There can be a trap though… for we can want to relive events in our lives hoping to succeed where we failed. No, we must let go of the past and start living the new purposes God has for us.

To have no regrets is to enjoy the fresh direction God has for us. To start again with Jesus, free from those shadows of the past.