My son will graduate high school this year. A few days ago he needed to submit a senior quote for the school yearbook. Usually the quote is advice for your peers or it highlights an aspect of your high school career. He had been thinking about a number of possibilities ranging from funny memes, famous movie lines, and significant book quotes, but he couldn’t settle on anything. The night it was due, my oldest daughter, my wife, and I had fun helping him brainstorm over dinner. He finally decided to go with, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” At first I wasn’t sure that was the best choice, but as I thought about it, I realized it is relatable by everyone and it can be very meaningful for those who take it to heart.
Relate
Everyone has done something that was naive, foolish, risky, short-sided, or had unintentional results. Many times their wiser self regrets it later. As an adventurous boy with two close brothers I did some innocent, but stupid stuff growing up. When I was in third grade my older brother and I explored a drain pipe system. The pipe was small forcing us to lay on our stomachs and pull ourselves forward by our forearms and elbows. Our dim toy flashlights provided just enough light to sift through the dirt, grime, leaves and cobwebs. We crawled through the darkness for over a quarter mile. Why did we think this was a good idea? No one knew where we were. What if a snake or a rat bit us. What if got stuck or couldn’t breathe? When I lived in Alaska the kids from my rural neighborhood were looking for something to do one summer day. We quickly decided a rock fight would be the best answer to our boredom. We divided into two teams—one team got the tree fort which had the advantage of height, but also had the disadvantage of needing to climb a 15-foot ladder to replenish ammunition, the other team got the dog kennel on the ground which didn’t provide much cover, but had an ample supply of small rocks. Soon the battle began as a dozen boys threw rocks at each other as quickly as they could. Why did this seem like a good idea? When we lived in town, if my bike was broken sometimes my brother and I would double up together on the banana seat of his bike. One time we thought it would be fun to have the person steering the handlebars close his eyes while the other one tells him where to go. Pretty quickly I flew over the handlebars as we smashed into a parked car. In junior high my brother and liked to target practice with bows and arrows. When that lost its challenge we thought it would be a good idea to shoot arrows at each other, step to the side at the last second and try to catch them. Neither of us got hurt, but what were we thinking? What have you done that seemed like a good idea at the time?
Reflect
My son’s quote is definitely relatable, but it also goes deeper than that. It speaks to the value of reflection. Anyone who wants to improve, mature, learn, and grow must question their assumptions, examine their motives, check their work, analyze their performance, and evaluate their results. Effective reflection requires honesty and humility. You must see your need for change and have the courage and resources to do something about it. This is true not just in what you do, but even more importantly in who you are at the core of your being.
Rely to Be Restored
In evaluating yourself, you will see that you are not perfect. You, like each of us, is broken and weak, not because you are too dependent. It is because you are too independent. Every person has strayed from what they are designed for. God created you and loves you. In his infinite wisdom he knows what is best for you which is to be with him, to be like him, and to do what he does. But like sheep each of us has gone astray (Isaiah 55:6). You have chosen to live life on your own terms instead of God’s. In many ways that lifestyle seems like a good idea, but it will gradually destroy you and leave you separated from all that is good, right, and loving (Romans 6:23). Fortunately, God has made possible a much more glorious plan for you. He has given you Jesus, God the Son, to do what you cannot do for yourself. Jesus became a man, lived a righteous life, died the death that you deserve for your wrongdoing, and rose again to secure victory over sin and death for all who believe (1 John 4:9-10). He can heal your brokenness and restore what you have lost in rebelling against God. Anyone who trusts Jesus to save them can become a part of God’s royal family and experience his abudant life now and forever. David, king of Israel, understood this when he prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to ask God to forgive you of any wrongdoing. Receive his forgiveness which he promises to give (1 John 1:9) Then rely on him to show you and to empower you to live rightly.
Seize the Day
My son’s quote is relatable and it speaks of the need for sincere, raw reflection which for most people will lead to a realization of their brokenness and need for restoration. Along with that the quote contains an element of time. Each day on this earth is a gift from God. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is never promised. I wrote about this last week in Note #274, “Choose Sooner.” Act today on the truth you have been given. Learn from your past to enjoy a brighter future. Don’t linger in the darkness. Open your cloak, step out of the shadows, let the light of truth rain down. God is giving you light to properly evaluate your relationships, your actions, your decisions, your circumstances, and your mistakes (John 3:16-21). Give each of them to him. In Jesus he shows you what your life could be and should be (John 14:6). It’s not too late. Whether you don’t know God yet, or you have drifted from walking with him, now is the time to humbly come to God. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:3,8) God promises to work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Let him redeem what seemed good at one point but you now realize is not.
Exchange your:
- Foolishness for his wisdom
- Skepticism for trust
- Ignorance for insight
- Wandering for purpose
- Wickedness for his righteousenss
- Enslavement for his freedom
- Self-centeredness for focus on him and others
- Worldly pursuits for his divine mission
- Rebellion for his reconciliation
- Fear for faith and courage
- Waywardness for his adoption
- Despair for hope and meaning
- Conflict for his peace
- Apathy for his love
- Brokenness for his restoration
- Poverty of spirit for his riches in Jesus
- Shame for his glory
Conclusion
Consider your life. Reflect on the things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Consider your relationships, your decisions, your actions, and your circumstances. Consider your mistakes or your wrongdoing. Evaluate the direction you are going. Then have the courage to make changes. But not just changes to what is wrong in your life, but also changes to what is right and good in order to make it even better. Every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). Only by involving him in that gift will you reap the fullness of it, whether it be a relationship, an aptitude, an endeavor, or an experience. Rely on God to make glorious, lasting changes from your inside out. Changes which put others before yourself and which produce loving kindness, goodness, and righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Not only is this a good idea now, it is the best way to live every day from now on.