IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME

Have you ever heard someone say, “I wish I knew then what I know now,” or, “I wish I could go back and live my life over, knowing what I know now?” Maybe you’ve even said something like that yourself. I know I have. I’ve always had a very active imagination, so I’ve imagined countless scenarios about going back in time as I was growing up.

I’ve always loved science fiction. It offers endless possibilities for the mind to wonder. I especially love the concepts of space travel and time travel. Space travel is a little more within our grasp than time travel, but even it has limitations.

I do believe there are other inhabited planets in the billions of galaxies out there, but the chance of us ever reaching them is very small. Time travel is even more impossible, but I’ve found myself wishing I could go back in time on several occasions.

One of my favorite back in time imaginings always involved going back and doing something to make myself rich in the future. I’ve thought of buying some things in the past that I know are worth a lot of money now; Things like comic books, baseball cards, paintings, and other collectibles. I would bring them back with me if I could, but if I couldn’t, I would hide them somewhere that I knew would still be there when I got back, then I would cash in; 

I also thought about changing the past to make the present better, not just for me, but for all my family, and community, our state, and even our whole world. If I could go back in time I would change so much. There are many, many things I would do, but, there are more things that I would NOT do than things I would. There are so many scenarios with the theory of time travel, and so many variables depending on who writes the story, but I would love to go back as I am now and see just what I could do, and what I could change. Maybe even find my younger self and give him some guidance to help him become the man I always wanted to be someday.

After many years of entertaining the idea, I’ve mellowed a bit, and grown some intellectually, and spiritually, and I think if time travel was possible I would do things a bit differently than I had always daydreamed about. Of all my imaginings, I think I would like most to go back to when I was twelve years old and live my life over from there with all the knowledge I now have, including all my memories from the life I have already lived.

Before I tell you what I would do, let me first tell you what I would not do. I would not jump on the tree knot one more time after my grandmother told me to stop, and my leg would not get the skin peeled off the bone from my knee to my foot. I would not take my new basketball to school and it would not get stolen from me. I would say, No, when Arlan asked me to draw the hand with only a middle finger sticking up on his notebook.

I would not grab that tennis racket in math class and clown around behind Mr. Jobe’s desk knocking the light fixture down, and I would not get a paddling because of it. I would do my homework and never copy Lisa’s, and Debbie’s papers. The day I was being chased through the gym, I would not duck and run through the line of girls doing basketball drills. That way, I would not end up unconscious on the floor with a concussion because I ran into the wall and fell and hit my head.

I would not pick up that rat I found in the bathtub one day after church, and I would not get bitten and have to go to the hospital for a tetanus shot. I would not jump off the top of our house and hurt myself. I would not get on that horse at Jamie’s house, so the horse would not run away with me and scare me almost to death. I would not quit school after I turn 16. I would never touch a drop of alcohol, and I would never, ever try drugs even one time.

There are many bad choices I made back then that I would never make if I had the opportunity to choose again with the knowledge I now have. I could go on for pages, talking about the things I would not do, but I won’t. Let me tell you a few of the things I WOULD do if I could go back in time and live my life over.

The first thing I would do, without hesitation, is to fall down on my knees, and ask Jesus to save me, and guide me from that moment on, for the rest of my life. I wasted so many years doing my own thing, my own way and I regret that. The second thing I would do is hug my grandmother, and tell her how much I love her, and from that point on, I would cherish everything she had to say, and I would obey her in whatever she told me, and I would treat her with the respect she truly deserved.

Then I would hug my three sisters and let them know how much I love and respect them, and that I will always love them, no matter what, and that I will always be there to protect them. I would do my very best to be a better example for them than I was. I would go tell my mom and dad that I love and respect them, and I forgive them for everything I was angry at them about. I would let them know I understand why things had to be the way they were. I would tell my Aunt Lee that I love her and I appreciate all she has done to help our grandmother take care of us. Those are the things I would do first.

I would also study more, and do my homework every night. I would read and study the Bible every day. I would spend more time praying and worshiping God and less time with my celebrity idols. I would spend more time helping others and less time satisfying my own selfish desires. I would spend more time telling others what Jesus has done for me, and how much he loves them. I would be a different young man than I was, and I would grow into a young adult that God could use. These are the things I would change if I could go back in time.

The reality of the matter is, I can’t go back in time. I can’t change a single thing that I ever did. “The Past Is The Past,” and “What’s Done Is Done.” The amazing thing is that God forgave me for all those bad things I did and he gave me a clean slate. Yes, I messed it up too, but thankfully, his mercy is new every morning. Each of us has a new opportunity each day to start over and live a better life from that point on. Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive. Search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you“ (Matthew 7:7). John said, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Remember this if you ever find yourself wishing you could go back and change your past.

Our main focus should not be on the past, but on the future and the glorious gift of eternal life with our creator and savior. That shouldn’t be the reason we serve him, though. We “must be born again” in order to receive that eternal life (John 3:7). When we’re truly born again, we will serve and obey him because we love him. He loves us so much that he died for us, and if we love him, we’ll live for him.

This life will end someday, and I truly believe it won’t be long now. Life is too short to waste, and eternity with Jesus is too precious to miss out on. So please, give your life to him right now. Look to the future, and leave the past in the past.

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