Daily Inspiration 4-5-20

"Our past may explain 

 why we're suffering 

but we must not use it as an excuse 

 to stay in bondage." 

-- Joyce Meyer 

Audio version

[Classic post from 12-5-15]

I just finished reading aloud John C Maxwell's new book, Intentional Living yesterday, and in the epilogue, he said that he once asked Coach John Wooden if he had any regrets about decisions he had made throughout his life. The coach said, "I have none." When I read that, it caused me to ask that question of myself.

I have lived with the regret of things I said, decisions I made, allowing my ego to rule when I could have chosen a path of love instead, and much more. There was plenty to regret in my life, and I would often ponder those situations and how I would have done it differently if I had it to do all over again. 

I was out for a walk with Charlie yesterday after finishing the book, and a thought came over me that there are two schools of thought about the past:

1. The past cannot be changed because it is in the past; however, there are plenty who imagine having a time machine and have the desire to go backward in time and have a do-over of all those things that cause them pain in the present.

2. The past can be changed. Just remember it differently. Rewrite the script. Rehearse it for a time and then the past is changed to something more desirable.

I think most of us who have regrets would be in category #1. We keep thinking that by thinking about it, we might be able to find the value in that past event and have closure so that we can feel better about ourselves.

To me, regret is thinking about the past and wishing it were different while being helpless to do anything about it. Thinking about it more simply expands the regret.

I'm sure that Abraham, Esther Hicks would say that regret is simply a negative emotion which is an indicator that we are thinking about something in a way that is opposed to our Inner Being, or our Source within. Our Source is not thinking about our past that way because our Source is essentially love, or God, or whatever word has you feeling good. When we are in alignment with our Source--our Inner Being, we feel good emotions which indicates that alignment. Feeling bad emotions like regret indicates being out of alignment. You could say accurately enough that in regret, we are disagreeing with God.

God doesn't look on our past with disdain or regret. Love doesn't do that. Love accepts whatever was because, in whatever is or was there, is of value. Often we might think that in regret there is no value, but that is not true. In everything there is value. In everything then, there is love.

Doing #2 above is hard work. It can be done, but it simply isn't necessary. And, of course, #1 is a complete waste of time, energy, and emotion. If we look upon all that was before and only consider the idea of alignment or out of alignment, that takes all the pain away, which is regret's best friend. If in what we did in the past we realize that when we made that choice, we were out of alignment, and had we known that then, we might have chosen better feeling thoughts, or a different choice entirely. No matter. You can't have known something in the past that you just learned today. Do it now.

I was out of alignment with my Inner Being when I did those things, said those things and I realize that now. I am in alignment now, and in that alignment, I see that there was value gained when before I thought there was none. I am loved unconditionally by Source. Source always has my best interests, my highest good in mind. It is Love. And, Love Allows. Yes, love allows me to choose out of alignment. I will know when I have done that now. I didn't then. It doesn't matter then. It only matters now. I choose alignment now. I have no regrets. They have been erased. If I go out of alignment today, I will know it by the way I am feeling. That is the value, and it is a massively beneficial value. Why?


Because It Always Leads Me Back To Love. 

Spread Some Joy Today--by spreading love instead of fear.