Desde El Corazón Del Padre

Olvidando ciertamente lo que queda atrás y extendiéndome a lo que está delante, prosigo a la meta, al premio del supremo llamamiento de Dios en Cristo Jesús.
Filipenses 3:13-14 RV

Los “si sólo”  de la vida nos frecuentan, ¿verdad? Y todos los tenemos.

Si sólo yo hubiera dado vuelta a la derecha en vez de a la  izquierda.

Si sólo yo hubiera dicho sí en vez de no.

Si sólo yo hubiera sido más bueno…valiente…sabio.

Pero a pesar de que tenemos esos “si sólo”, ninguno de nosotros logramos un “volver a hacerlo”.  Lo que está en el pasado  está en el pasado, y aunque tal vez tengamos que pedir disculpas o tratar de corregir  lo que hicimos incorrecto, no podemos cambiar nuestras opciones originales.
Yo consideraba algunos de mis propios “si sólo”  esta mañana cuando Dios dijo, “Dámelos — todos tus “si sólo”  y entonces podré usarlos para realizar Mis objetivos.”
Wow. No había pensado en esto antes. Entendí que aferrándome  a y contemplando  extensamente mis “si sólo”  era autodestructivo, pero no se me había ocurrido que yo impedía a Dios redimirlos como sólo Él puede hacerlo.
Muerte, divorcio, enfermedad,  desafíos financieros o de salud — todos ellos llevan el potencial de “si sólo”, y una vez que las opciones se toman, no podemos cambiarlas. Pero podemos decidir soltarlas,  admitir nuestra inhabilidad de corregirlas  y dárselas  a Dios, quien se mantiene en  espera — Sus manos-con-cicatrices-de-clavos  extendidas — para tomarlas de nosotros y traer el  bien del mal, y sanidad  del dolor.
Este es el tiempo para olvidar las cosas que quedaron atrás y proseguir  avanzando  al “llamado de Dios en Cristo Jesús.” Por favor únete  a mí para responder a esa llamada hoy.

***

Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14, NKJV).

The “if-onlys” of life haunt us, don’t they? And we all have them.

If only I’d turned right instead of left….

If only I’d said yes instead of no….

If only I’d been kinder…braver…wiser….

But despite the fact that we all have “if-onlys,” none of us gets a “do-over.” What’s past is past, and though we may need to apologize or try to set right what we did wrong, we cannot change our original choices.

I was pondering some of my own “if-onlys” this morning when God said, “Give them to me—all your ‘if-onlys’—and then I can use them to fulfill My purposes.”

Wow. I hadn’t thought of that before. I understood that holding on to and dwelling on my “if-onlys” was self-destructive, but it hadn’t occurred to me that I was preventing God from redeeming them as only He can.

Death, divorce, illness, financial or health challenges—they all carry the potential of “if-onlys,” and once the choices are made, we can’t change them. But we can choose to turn loose of them, to admit our inability to fix them and hand them over to God, who stands waiting—His nail-scarred hands outstretched—to take them from us and bring good out of evil, healing from pain.

It’s time to forget the things that are behind and press forward to the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Please join me in answering that call today.

Kathi Macias, popular speaker and prolific author, is an Angel-award winning writer who has published nearly thirty books, including her latest releases, Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today (New Hope Publishers) and My Son John (a novel from Sheaf House). Whether keyboarding her latest book, keynoting a conference, or riding on the back of her husband's Harley, Kathi "Easy Writer" Macias is a lady on a mission to communicate God's vision. Her insightful words—filled with passion, humor and soul nourishment—refresh audiences from all walks of life. Join Kathi as she hosts "Write the Vision" every Thursday from 6—7 p.m. (Pacific Time) via THE International Christian Network (www.theicn.com). To learn more about Kathi or to book her for your next event, visit www.KathiMacias.com. Spanish translations by Cynthia Alcantara (cynthia.alcantara1@gmail.com).