Eric and I both believe that the best gift we can give our children and others is the knowledge of Jesus and the salvation he offers us. God's love is eternal, and our lives here are only temporary. To understand this and to live this way gives your life so much more meaning and significance. Making choices and decisions every day with our time, our words and our choices solidifies our faith, makes it apparent to others, and can also convict us when we aren't doing as we should be. Our prayer is that we live our lives with passion, conviction and determination to make the right choices and to be a positive influence on others. But, we also know that we are sinners and fall so short of living as Christ did. Knowing that we have a Savior who died for our sins gives us hope and peace and enables us to live with eternal peace and perspective, even in the midst of turmoil or trials.
Yesterday, when I was sitting in church, I realized one of the most important pieces of our parenting journey is to teach our children to live with no regrets. We are doing a four week study on a new Christian book, One Month to Live. I highly recommend it. The dedication page is written to this couple's four children, and it says, "We pray that you will always live with no regrets." It was a lightbulb moment for me. No regrets applies in all areas of your life...regrets of "what if," "if only," "why me," or "why not me?" I can regret things I didn't do or things I did do. I don't want my chidren to look back when they are 30 with life-changing regrets....in rehab for drugs, and saying, "I regret that one night, that one instant that I made the choice to try drugs, and now I struggle with a lifelong addiction. Or, when they are 16, unwed and expecting a baby, realizing how one moment in time, one bad choice, led them down a different path and a different life than they had imagined.
Regrets can also go the way of missed opportunities. Why didn't I share my faith more vocally with a dear friend who once said she thought she believed in God because she had seen a ghost before? I regret wasting time on things that don't matter. I regret friendships I've let fade due to time and busyness. I don't want those regrets, and certainly none that can be life altering and changing. I thank God every day for protecting me and keeping me away from so many things that could have caused me so many regrets. I am so blessed with a husband I have loved since high school,(can you believe it has been 19 years), a household of children I adore and a life so full of love, joy and peace (and lots of messes, too)! I know God has a plan for my life. God pieces people, places and families together where He wants you. Now I just pray for the wisdom to seek Him in all I do, and for my family as well.
Sometimes God does use those regrets to change people, situations and lives. I can think of a few people in my life that made "bad choices" but turned their lives into a living testimony for God. They've experienced that forgiveness and unconditional love only God can give.
The author of the book talks about the dash....the small line between the year you were born and the year you die on your tombstone. What do you want your dash to represent? What will you be remembered for?
When we stand before God one day, he will ask us two questions. The first, "What did you do with my son, Jesus Christ," and the second, "What did you do with the gifts I gave you?" I want him to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I will be accountable for my time, my abilities, and the talents God gave me. I will be responsible for those I interacted with...did I take the time to tell them about Jesus? To invite them to church? To lend a hand to someone in need? Or was I too busy with my own agenda, my own schedule?
I want to live a life summed up in this anonymous quote..."Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." To quote "One Month to Live," We were created to be active and present in the lives we've been given. Make the most of your time by spending it on a legacy that will last long after your time on earth has ended. Do it today!
