Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda's!

Jeremiah 33:3

³ ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Recently I have heard some people lament about things that they have not done in their lives. They often speak about missed opportunities. Many of us, as we grow older often look back at our lives and sometimes wish we would have done things differently.

As I thought about this topic this morning, one of my favorite songs from Country Artist, Joe Diffie came to mind. In this song we see a man so preoccupied with his Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’s that he missed his road exit to go to Sears.

Part of the Lyrics are:

Somewhere down that road not taken will forever live those dreams that were forsaken.
Just every now and then I think about what would have been, somewhere down that road not taken

How many of us have gone to class reunions and have run head first into the girl or guy we were too scared to ask out on a date? How many of us see that person who has become rich by taking opportunities that we did not? And, how often have we seen those that have been too full of doubt to leave the days of high school behind. Yes, often lives can be fill with regret, or what I call the:

 “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’s?

The text from the Book of Jeremiah is a verse that was speaking specifically to the Prophet Jeremiah. This verse is telling Jeremiah to seek out the Lord’s wisdom. We see that this verse tells Jeremiah of God’s promised answer to his question.

As we look back on our lives, how many of us have been guilty of not seeking out God’s wisdom in those areas in which fear and doubt drive our lives? For many of us that think about the past, we must understand that sometimes it is not the past that should take up the space in our brains. Rather we should seek out God’s wisdom as to affect the change to our futures.God is calling each of us just as Jeremiah. We must seek out God’s wisdom, God’s answer to the questions that we have about our present and our future.

In Joe Diffie’s song the man asks the following of himself: “What if I had asked you? And what if you'd said, "Yes"? There's no way I'll ever know, still I can't help but guess.

Ours is not a guessing game because we have been given a personal relationship with the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The Trinity is available to us to be in relationship with, to ask questions of, and to be guided by the answers we are given.

Beloved, God is present and available and waiting for our questions, He is waiting for us to develop that personal relationship with Him. Instead of missing your exit to Sears, instead of lamenting on Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, seek out God’s wisdom and answers instead of self-doubt, and self- sadness.

Don’t miss the exits to the Sears of your lives, give it to the everlasting love of God whose answer will drive you home every time.

This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it.

Pastor Tim.