Memories and Regrets
By Curtis on Jan 30, 2009 in Motivational
There are 2 things pretty certain in this life:
1) You’re going to be remembered for something
2) You’ll probably have some regrets
All of us are making silent, lasting impressions upon the many people we interact with from day to day. When people reflect back upon us will they do it with a sense of gratitude for knowing us or a sense of relief that we are not in their lives?
If the members in our classes had a discussion about us 5 or 10 years from now, what would they say? Would they have fond memories from being in our class? Will they rehearse positive, helpful lessons they heard from us. Will they recall a godly example and a character worth emulating? Only we can determine that.
A lot of what makes such a lasting impact upon a person’s life is the sum of small exchanges. Many times in our pursuit of “bigger” things and more “important” matters we overlook opportunities to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.
Jesus disciples had this tendency. When the mothers wanted Jesus to bless their children, the disciples felt that Jesus had greater priorities. Jesus’ response has been studied and repeated throughout the ages “Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:15-17
“In the children who were brought in contact with Him, Jesus saw the men and women who should be heirs of His grace and subjects of His kingdom, and some of whom would become martyrs for His sake.” EGW Desire of Ages Page 515
Jesus saw the bigger picture.
I’m convinced that some of our most painful regrets in life will not be about great things we didn’t accomplish but rather about small moments of meaningful interaction with others that we let pass us by.
The saying goes “stop and smell the roses”. That’s so true but how about we also add to it “stop and SHARE the roses”?
There’s someone in your home, on your job, in your church and yes, in your class, that will be forever grateful that you took the time to stop and share some roses with them. That’s a memory you’ll never regret.
5 Comment(s)
By Jeni on Jan 31, 2009 | Reply
Just read your Jan 30th Blog and it brought tears to my eyes. Being a Dept manager, I see this lesson applies to me at work and I realize I am missing my mark. Thanks for reminding me that we are forever a walking testimony for Jesus.
Jeni
By Lilith on Feb 1, 2009 | Reply
That was BEAUTIFUL Curtis! Thanks for sharing this heartwarming and soul stirring message. You really have a talent to write and God is really using you!
Lilith
By Janice Pettigrew on Feb 3, 2009 | Reply
I finally had an opportunity to read the January 30th Blog and it’s so interesting that what you were reminding us a christians to do I was already doing on January 31. I had a conference to speak at in Camilla and shared a painful experience to the women in attendance, usually I start with the age of 13 but the Holy Spirit said I needed to go back further. This led me to share something that happene at the age of 7. Afterwards one woman asked to speak to me alone and it’s then that she explained my sharing encouraged her to unload a secret she’d been carrying since she was 9 years old(she’s now 47). That breakthrough is now going to allow her to move forward. Had I not shared of myself she could still be holding on to it and in the processing continue to do self-destructive things. Praise God!
Please continue to share your words of wisdom garnered straight from the Lord.
By RonSul on Feb 4, 2009 | Reply
Curtis,
As usual, this is timely and penetrating! A great reminder of our constant need to reach out to others.
By Andre L. Allen on Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
Curtis,
This is a powerful read. Sometimes we are remembered for the things we tend to regret. Call it a catch-22, a double-edge sword or simply irony, but it is sometimes a reality. Ourselves or others have the ability to move us toward situations that are “important,” so we often look past the little things when in a lot of cases it’s those “little” thing that bring us the most enjoyment. I am going to make more of an effort SHARE rather than SMELL the roses. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.