One of the popular age-old thoughts within the human imagination is what we would change if we could go back in time. Would making different decisions help us and others today? Many people have regrets over poor decisions and wonder what they could have prevented or created if they could go back. Of course, this would only work if we had the knowledge we now possess. Some choices involved just ourselves, and no doubt it altered our lives. But how? Guilt and regret are a part of blaming ourselves, while other events were beyond our control. Then there are disappointments that come as a normal part of life. We could continue with examples, but whatever the case (and each one is unique), we can learn from mistakes and use the past to help us secure a better future.
Allow me to ask: If you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, would you do things differently to fix past mistakes? Do you truly think changing the past would improve your life and the lives of those you love? I was young once and saw life very differently than I do now. So, how can we be sure our changes would help? Today, I place education and living for God much as a much higher priority than I did as a teen or in my twenties. I made significant mistakes from poor choices and rarely considered long-term consequences. I look and back and I’m grateful the Lord was gracious and most likely protected me from my own youthful errors more than I will ever know. “History, despite its pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again” Maya Angelou.
I’m reminded of the song by Garth Brooks that talks about thanking God for unanswered prayers. It’s evident that we often do not really know how to pray. I heard someone say recently that they did not pray to ask God for things; they prayed to know what He wanted. This makes you think about how much a part our free will plays versus God’s will. Remember, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” We know that He allows us to make choices, but we cannot deny the fact that He knows everything before it happens, as Matthew 6:8 says, “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” We also accept that since He is the only one who can see the future, He has the power to prevent or allow our decisions. If He wants to stop us, He can, and if He wants to allow things to happen, He does. In this light, we see that we have freedom to choose, but as the Supreme Judge, He has the final word.
I’m sure that God would be the first one to say He’s disappointed with a lot of our choices, but He also understands better than anyone how difficult it is for us to harness our emotions. We watched a series recently about a man who found a time portal to the year 1960. He could step back to this year and spend as long as he wanted there, and use the same location to come back through the portal to the present. He started thinking that it was his duty to go back and try to stop President John Kennedy, who was assassinated on 11/23/63. He read every tiny detail about what happened that day, then went into the portal and prepared for 3 years. On November 23, he found Lee Harvey Oswald on the sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository building, they struggled, and he killed Oswald before he could fire the rifle. The future was changed.
Of course, it seemed like a great idea, and while you’re watching the motorcade on Elm Street drive safely away from Dealey Plaza, you are relieved that the deadly ambush was prevented. The police arrived on the scene and arrested our guy until they could figure out what happened, and he was later released as a hero. However, when he returns to the present, he does not recognize the world he once lived in. The entire planet lay in ruins as supposedly Kennedy turned into a vicious dictator and a nuclear holocaust destroyed everything. Our man is shocked to realize that he made a horrible decision that killed billions. So, can we consider that changing the past might not always turn out exactly like we think?
Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, chaplain, teacher, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com
