“I’m so sorry, future self,” I said as I stuffed the Christmas lights into the box and squeezed the lid shut. Ten minutes earlier I was making circles around the tree, neatly organizing the strand of lights as I imagined how happy I would be next year when it was time to decorate. The chatter of our toddler saying, “Mommy” on repeat and him merging in between my legs and around the tree only slightly distracted me from my meticulous goal. Yes, I was gonna be happy next year.
Then it happened. All of my hard work vanished with the slip of the lights from the middle of the pile in my hand. I watched sadly as my organization unraveled into a jumbled mess. Time and energy stopped me from starting again and so there I found myself apologizing to future me.
And so things happen. Next year it will cost me extra patience and time, but in the grand scheme of life, not organizing a string of Christmas lights is not going to end the world. On the other hand, some of our choices will not be so forgiving. Will our decisions today leave us needing to apologize to ourselves down the road or can we say confidently that we are taking responsibility for our actions and reactions in the present?
We are each given this gift of life and are responsible for how we use it. What’s in the past cannot change but it can be forgiven (thank you, Jesus!). Let’s seize this moment and, with God’s help, do what we can do live with no regrets.
