I know I quote Oswald Chambers a lot, but there’s something about his daily devotional that makes it continually relevant. However, sometimes I end up skipping a day. The Feb. 18 entry is one particular one that ministered to me. I’m wondering whether I skipped it last year, because I know that hearing it would have done me some good.
The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him… Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step. (My Utmost for His Highest, Feb. 18)