We may not always be exempt from some of the consequences of our sins and bad choices in this life. But God treats us as if we had not done these sins. So in that sense we are given a new start. We are given a fresh way forward, and we do not need to remain chained to past actions that we now regret.

One of the saddest things a person can experience is to look back on a long life and feel an intense sense of regret. A person reflects on his or her life and is filled with remorse and sadness, thinking that so much of that life has been wasted or poorly lived.

One can reflect on all the mistakes, bad choices, and wasted opportunities that have taken place. It can be overwhelming when one realises life is now nearing its end, and there is little or no time to turn things around, set a new course, and make up for past failures.

The reality is this: we have one life to live, and one life only. Sure, we all make mistakes along the way, and wish that we could undo some things. But that cannot fully happen in this life. We are stuck with our past choices.

Fiction writers have sometimes sought to deal with this question. Some old episodes of the Twilight Zone deal with those who seek to travel to the past and redo the historical record. And one quite popular 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell also dealt with this in various ways.

I will not give all the details away if you have not yet seen the film and want to, but those who have seen it will know this brief outline of the plot:

A jaded and cynical television weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) has to cover Groundhog Day festivities in rural Pennsylvania. He is not thrilled to be there. But he soon finds himself waking up each day to the same scenario. The day keeps repeating itself.

At first he uses this strange situation to his own advantage. But over time he comes to be attracted to his TV producer Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell). He seeks to woo her, but she is not interested. So he uses these days that keep repeating to change his life in order to win her over.

He seeks to improve himself and actually help other people instead of using and abusing them. He learns French, teaches himself to play piano, and become a sculptor, all to win over Rita. So he had a whole lotta time on his hands to really make some big changes in his life.

Of course this is Hollywood, and not the real world. We do not get infinite chances to get things right. What is done is done – and cannot be undone. Perhaps you are like me: I often wish I could have done things differently. Often I look back on my life and cringe – not only when I was a young hippy in the 60s, but also as a Christian. I think I could have done so many things better, more wisely, and more lovingly.

Again, I cannot go back and do it all over. The past is past. You might feel the same about your past. BUT, we can make amends. We can seek forgiveness and offer restitution for past wrongs. We can try to restore broken relationships, and we can seek to rebuild bridges. So we CAN do some things along the way.

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