Looking Forward, Not Behind

"Watch where you're going!" Blossom quickly reached out and stopped her toddler sister from walking into the wall.Mom chuckled. "She should look in front of her instead of turning her head to make sure we're watching, huh?"Blossom moved over to the sofa as her sister plopped down on the floor with a toy. "Mom? Do you think Grandma knew how much I liked it when she baked for me?" Blossom hugged her knees to her chest."Yes," Mom said. "I do.""Do you think she forgave me for that time I yelled at her?""I do," Mom said. "I believe she told you she did, didn't she?"That night, Blossom looked at her mom when she came to tuck her in. "I wish that I had picked flowers for Grandma more often. She liked it when I brought them to her.""She did like it," Mom said."And I wish I had helped her clean instead of watching TV." Blossom's eyes filled with tears."Sweetie…" Mom knelt down beside the bed. "You can't live with all these regrets."Blossom sniffled. "But I should have been better."Mom brushed a tear from Blossom's cheek. "You know how your sister looks back when she's trying to walk?" Blossom nodded. "She never looks where she's going, and then she runs into things.""Well, you seem to be doing the same thing," Mom said. "You're so busy looking behind you, worrying about what you think you should have done differently, that you aren't seeing what's in front of you. You can't let regrets hold you back, sweetie. We all make mistakes sometimes, but Jesus gives us grace. His sacrifice on the cross covers all our sins and failures. Instead of dwelling on the past, we can look to the future and trust Him to help us learn from our mistakes and do better." Mom smiled and smoothed back Blossom's hair. "Grandma loved you, Blossom, and she knew that you loved her. She forgave you when you messed up. She's with Jesus now, and one day you'll see her again. She wouldn't want you to be sad, wishing you had done things differently. She'd want you to focus on Jesus and trust Him to help you love the people who are still here with you."– Emily Acker