"Should"

If you had to do things all over I'm sure you'd do things differently. You wouldn't have said that. You wouldn't have done that. You would have taken advantage of that opportunity. You would have handled that situation better. You should've been more thoughtful, should've been more patient, should've been more prudent. Something inside you keeps telling you that you should've known better or should've done better but you can't do anything to change it so you stand there shrouded in a sack of "should."

I know how you feel. We all have things that we should've done differently but that's the great thing about grace. As followers of Christ we are promised that "all things work together for the good of those who love The Lord and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) Therefore, even our "should" will work together our good. [Pause and read that again] Knowing this allows us to view our shoulds in a way that shapes our future constructively rather than in a way that fixates on our past destructively. In other words, let your past inform your future but don't allow it to beat you down to the degree that you don't expect to ever be able to get past it.

Yes, you should've done things differently. Use that knowledge to ensure that next time you will and the experience can make you better. However, if you don't see it as a learning experience it will prevent you from moving forward because you'll drag your past into your present and you definitely "shouldn't" do that.

Posted in: Grace