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Have you ever wished for a time machine?
I mean, think about it. Zipping through history or visiting the future, which as an aside, I personally would not do as some things are better left undiscovered—in my time-travelling opinion! Now, let me ask you this; Are there things in your past that you’re not proud of, or situations you’d reverse if given the chance? Truth told, I’m guessing we all hold on to painful memories we’d love to erase, and if given the opportunity, we’d go back in time to ensure they never happened in the first place.
Speaking from fifty-nine years of experience, I remember instances where my temper flared and I hurt someone with my words and actions. I venture to say we all have. These unpleasant flashbacks are not always easy beasts to slay.
Amazingly enough, we don’t need to time travel to heal the past hurts in our lives. We already have a HEALER, a SAVIOR, and a REDEEMER—an ever-present help in times of trouble, heartache, guilt, fear, and self-condemnation. And the best part is, we don’t need to strap ourselves into a time machine to get to him!
Trouble? “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalms 46:1 (All NIV)
Heartache? “He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalms 147:3
Guilt? “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalms 103:12
Fear? “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:4
Self-condemnation? “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalms 32:1, 2
You may not possess a time machine, and I realize from experience that you may never be able to completely shed the memories of things you’d rather forget. Negative experiences in our lives can weigh us down both emotionally and physically—and it’s that toxicity that prevents us from truly enjoying the freedom we inherit when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives.
My point is this…
When you have trouble forgiving yourself for painful actions said and done, remember that God sent his only-begotten Son into this world to bring hope and forgiveness to the broken-hearted. He alone can pull you through anything you’re experiencing in life, and the best part is that he does it without a time-machine!
God loves us unconditionally and all we have to do is let him in!
Paul Smyth
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