Thursday, May 26, 2016

Know Regrets


The Coming Home Network has a video depiction of the particular judgment showing a man entering what appears to be a large hanger where he sits before a theater screen to watch a movie of his life.  At various times he smiles, but many other scenes make him very uncomfortable as he cringes at seeing his past behavior.   Many of us do not like to see ourselves in pictures or videos.  I know a few people who even refuse to allow their picture to be taken.  Imagine then what it would be like to watch a movie of everything you had ever done.

Worse yet, imagine everyone you ever knew watching your movie at the general judgment.  Think of all the things you ever said about another person with that person now listening to you say it in your presence.   We have all done things and said things we regretted later.  We have at times behaved in such a way to hurt others, either intentionally or through misunderstanding.  In some cases, we may not even realize we caused another pain. 

I can look back at my sixty-plus years and think of many times I regret what I did or did not do.  Unfortunately, there are no do-overs.  In some cases, I failed my friends because of my own personal problems that I was too embarrassed to share.  I chose to be a jerk rather than reveal my own weakness.  I regret the way I treated my mother at times when I was a cocky adolescent.  When the time comes for me to watch my life on the big screen, I will cower frequently I am sure. 

Our every movement seems to be recorded somewhere these days.  Between security cameras, phones, drones and even satellites, somebody is watching.  Our privacy is fleeting.  While this may be upsetting to some, consider the only big brother we really need to be concerned about is our brother in the Lord who knows everything we say, think and do.  One day, He will roll the tape and our lives will flash before us.  Whether this is a joyful or shameful experience depends on how we live our lives today.

Keeping this in mind can help us to temper our behavior in the future.  Be aware that we are being recorded every moment we are awake, and that someday, we will be forced to watch that video in the presence of friends and family.