As I get older I notice a syndrome I call the "Should Woulda Coulda" syndrome. Young people rarely have it while most (the majority) of us older people do.
We look back and clearly (and somewhat self-loathingly) identify the big goofs in our lives. The losses. The missed opportunities. The hurt we've caused others. The disagreements. The education or career detours. The fish that got away. The overlooked moments to embrace or say "I love you". The ballgames missed. The vacations not taken.
In the moment we didn't see something that years later is obvious. And we wish we could go back and make more of that moment than we did.
Sadly those "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" moments were what they were. The past is the past. Hopefully however, those moments inspire change in the present.
The antidote for the syndrome are 3 words.
Say them with me. "I CAN NOW."
I CAN NOW.
I CAN NOW.
I CAN NOW.
If you've missed an opportunity for education . . . I CAN NOW.
If you've hurt someone and need to apologize . . . I CAN NOW.
If you're holding on to a sin and need to change course . . . I CAN NOW.
If you love someone and have held back telling them . . . I CAN NOW.
If you wish you'd saved money, been more frugal, made a wiser decision . . . I CAN NOW.
And if you've been living with unhealthy patterns - physically, spiritually, emotionally . . . and want a different outcome . . . I CAN NOW.
If you are ready to be a new creature as the Bible says . . . I CAN NOW.
It is never too late to be who God wants you to be. Let God heal you today.
Whisper with me . . . "God, with your help, with your sovereignty, with your wisdom, with your forgiveness, with you by my side . . . no matter the past . . . I trust you. I can now."
