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Are you now living with the consequences of some wrong decision in your life? All of us face those consequences at times. Some of us perhaps made bad decisions out of ignorance. Obviously, if we had known where these bad decisions would lead, we wouldn’t have made them. But in most cases, it wasn’t that we didn’t know better; it was rather that we chose to ignore the potential consequences.
Living with Wrong Decisions
So, you’ve made some wrong decisions. What do you do now? Is life over? Is there no way back? Yes, of course—our God can give you a life of hope and ministry, if you first:
1. Own up to your wrong decisions.
Don’t live in denial. Don’t keep shifting blame. Don’t try to ignore it. Don’t make up excuses. Just get it out in the open—first with God. Confess it to him. Then you may or may not need to talk about it with someone else. But call it what it is.
2. Refuse to live in despair.
You serve a God of second chances—many second chances. You don’t have to live in despair, even over bad decisions that have affected your entire life. So:
You married the wrong person. You had an abortion. You committed adultery or fornication. You spent money you should not have spent. You lied to your boss. You chose the wrong career. You went to the wrong school. You walked away from God and the church. You bought the wrong house. You ate the wrong food. You chose the wrong friend. You went to the wrong church.
I don’t know what is on your list, but I know that God wants to make an example of how he can still be glorified, even in the midst of your wrong decisions.
3. Start where you are and go forward.
Don’t wallow in the despair of your wrong decision. Here are two encouraging passages from Isaiah:
Isaiah 51:3: The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Isaiah 58:11: The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.