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One of my sons and his wife sent me a book titled Grandma’s Story. This book isn’t written yet. It is full of questions that I am supposed to answer. Some of these questions require a lot of thought to come up with an answer.


One that I didn’t have to think about at all is what one thing I would have done differently with or in my life. My instant response was, “Not one thing.” Our experiences make us who we are; if I had done things differently, I would be a different person today. My thoughts, my outlook on life, my very character would be different.


Would I be a better person, or have a better life? Maybe. But it would be a different life, and I’d miss out on some things, too. Maybe I would never have met my very dearest friends who are like sisters to me. I’d miss out on all the experiences I had while I was married, all the places I lived. And a change could affect other people, as well. For example, if I had not married or had married a different person, my children and grandchildren I have now would not exist.


So, I wouldn’t want to go back into my past and change anything. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t some things I regret. I can’t change them, but I can learn from them and change how I act going forward.
While thinking this over, I realized that my relationship with God is based on this.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,” John wrote in 1 John 1:9.


God won’t change my past, but I can rest secure in the fact that he has charge of my future. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”


The Bible also says that with Christ’s help, I can do anything. That means every day — every moment of every day — is a chance to change. A chance to turn my negative words into positive ones, to listen to someone instead of interrupting them to tell my ideas, to treat someone with kindness, to share whatever talents and resources God has bestowed upon me. In short, a chance to be more like Jesus.
I guess that means I don’t want to change my future, either. Because I know how it ends — just as God has planned for me, an eternity in fellowship with him.


Meanwhile, I need to finish this memory book for my kids. Hmm, what three people would I invite to a dinner party, if it could be anybody, living or dead? I wonder if they have to be real people. There are characters in some of my favorite books who I would love to spend some time with….