I am in the middle of reading the book Time Lottery by Nancy Moser. The story line follows three people who were chosen as the first to be able to go back to an “Alternity” or to their past life. Once there, they would have the chance to make a change which will result in a different path for their lives. After a week, they would decide to stay in their new reality, or return to their present life.

I know, this is only fiction. But it does make me think. What if I could go back and make a choice that would significantly change my life? Maybe I would decide to better apply myself in school or choose a different profession. Could a geographical change make a difference in my circumstances. How about if I would never have become an alcoholic?

As I read, I also think about God and how he created a perfect world for humans and they completely threw that away by ushering in sin. Why didn’t he go back into time, as I am sure he could, being the only God there is, and change something so Adam and Eve would not have sinned? Couldn’t he have just destroyed everything and started all over?

In my mind it comes down to one word–love. In Romans 5:8 I read  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In his omniscience, God knew from eternity that I, and everyone else, would sin. And yet, because of his undeserved love our, Heavenly Father sent Jesus, his only Son, to bear the punishment for those sins. He did fix something from my past and unfortunately, something in which I find myself daily caught–sin. In doing do, through Jesus, my eternal future is assured.

If I could go back and fix something, what would that be? I would go back about 53 years to my confirmation day. That is when I committed to following God and to do what it would take to make sure I was making choices to grow my faith. I said on that day I would keep in constant contact with God through daily time in his Word, through the Lord’s Supper and prayer.

At that time, I really had no idea what that all meant. Now, 53 years later, I sometimes wonder if I understand just what that commitment to God means. But if things would be different in my life today, it would be as a result of a growing relationship with God and not from a different job or more money or a different location.

I am still breathing so that source for change is still there. And because of what Jesus did for me, I have the best motivation to continue to make the changes to be closer to him – staring with my heart.

So, if you could go back and change something, make a different choice, what would that be?

Thanks for taking sometime to read this. Hope you come back. I will wait you. And this song is an old one, usually seen as for a child. But you know, it is just as true for me as an adult because everything that is worth anything comes because of the truth that Jesus loves me.