No Regrets?

A question often asked by many is, do you regret? Well I can’t answer for anyone except myself. Life certainly can offer lots of lumps, amidst happy and sad times I try to stay focused on positive. I believe it is a good thing to reflect on the past, both good and bad, for a few reasons though. At the top of those reasons would be that revisiting the past can help us to not repeat mistakes. If we made mistakes and we learned from them, then we are better for it. I am thankful for being in a place where, while I am still striving for the goal, I have a vantage point where I can stand and look back and see all that I have walked away from. All the experiences in whole have made me a better person today than I was yesterday.

Difficult situations I’ve been through have taught me to trust my gut instinct. I believe Abba YHVH has given us this feeling that seizes our gut for a reason. I have been in too many pickles to count and I am THANKFUL that I had “that” feeling. Initially my mistake was to not trust it. I learned that if I get “that” feeling I had better pay attention and listen to YHVH for instruction. His guidance has gotten me out of the said pickles and I am very thankful for that. Had I not had these situations, that I put myself in, I would not have the wisdom that I do now to handle those situations.

Certain situations I have been through have taught me compassion for others who are still traveling through their journey of life. I understand where they are because I myself was in their position, in any shape or form, at one point in my own life. In this way I feel I am able to relate to others and possibly help them through their own issues in life. Had I not had experience in these areas I would be of no use. After all, “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor,” right? Of course right. 

Poor choices in life and love have made me a better parent. While there is always room for improvement I can say that I believe that armed with the knowledge I currently have I can help steer my daughter’s thought processes to make better choices with the goal that I can help her avoid some of the horrible mistakes I made. She, no doubt, will make her own mistakes but I hope that she will at least not make the same ones I made. Or that if she is faced with the same situations I was in she will be armed with different options to help guide her through her decisions.

Although painful, joyful, pleasurable, scary, hopeless, despairing, hurtful, heart-wrenching, melancholy, or whatever the situations experienced I have no regrets! I used to love reading those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books but I always found myself holding a finger in the spot of choosing so I could go back and choose another path should I inadvertently choose the wrong one. Real life isn’t that simple, unfortunately. It is for this reason that I am thankful for my Abba YHVH’s forgiving nature. I am thankful for His lessons. All along the way I can see His hand in my own life. How He was there all along, when here I thought I was a ‘big’ girl making my own decisions, which I was. Time and time again I was presented with choices. Whatever I chose I had consequences. If it was a good choice they were good and conversely if I chose wrong the consequences were bad. In either case I learned, and that is what counts. No regrets!

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, But it is the counsel of YHVH that stands. Pro 19:21 

 
**Additional Note: I just wanted to add that I neglected to mention the importance of teshuvah... repentance. Even though I am saying that I do not regret the experiences I have had. Certainly I do wish I didn't have to go through certain things, but in reflection I realize the importance of them in my life in order to shape my current walk. It IS important to ask forgiveness where we are wrong. I do believe in YHVH's grace, but I don't believe you can continue to walk in His grace without asking Him for forgiveness. Total repentance is in Hebrew, "teshuvah" which literally means "turn and return." So I just wanted to be sure that I was clear on this. ~Shalom :)

Halloween – My TESTimony

 

Once a year, every year, millions of people all over the world gather together to celebrate a particular day. It is a day that is filled with grotesque images of disfigurement, gore, vile, filth, it is a day that is looked down upon by our Heavenly Father. He truly HATES this day. Many people feel like it may “just” be for the reasons mentioned above, but it is much more than that. It is a day dedicated to Satan and his earth bound minions. It is a day that Bible believers should have NO BUSINESS celebrating. Would you believe that I too used to celebrate this day? Here is my story…

In my youth, my Mom, a Bible believing, church going, Christian woman was not a fan of “dark things.” She was not a fan of scary movies or things of this nature yet one day when I was about 6 years old, all the kids in my first grade classroom came to school dressed up in costumes. I observed how fun it was to dress up. Then they all spoke of going out that night with their parents and getting candy. What kid doesn’t love to get FREE candy? So I came home very excited to go “trick or treating” with my Mom. I was confronted with a “no” from my step-dad. I was upset and went to my Mom in secret and asked her to please take me. I complained and fussed and she finally gave in and dressed me (I don’t even remember what I wore) and gave me a sack. We then snuck out the BACK door and she took me around the block collecting candy. I remember standing in the shadows next to the house thinking “this is so wrong to have to sneak around to do this.” Well I honestly don’t even remember what happened to my candy when we got back. I have a feeling my Mom probably just threw it out after giving me a handful, I really don’t know. I did not ask the following year, or the year after that. I didn’t like that sneakiness and did not care to participate again. It was not a big deal to me really. 

My step dad passed away when I was 11 years old so my teenage years I was more free to do things like trick or treating if I desired it. I can remember that I really did not care for it still. I remember one day we went to visit my cousins in the Valley and while we were there the older kids from their church had a Halloween party at one of their friend’s homes. We didn’t go but we saw pictures later of the costumes and such. People were dressed like Boy George and Madonna. I seem to remember being somewhat surprised that this group from “church” would be having such a party, but I dismissed it, I did see that perhaps it wasn’t a big deal since the “church group” was participating. My husband and I married at 18, just shy of our 19^th birthdays. We were living in England for the first 3 years of our married life. We were invited to many gatherings, and of course we were invited to some Halloween parties. We thought, “we are adults, sure why not,” so we went. I had (I’ve now thrown them away) pictures of us each year we went. The first year I dressed in a cloak and I made my face pasty white and had blood dripping from the corners of my mouth. Just prior to throwing them out, just looking at those pictures made me feel ill. The next year I wore a more provocative outfit. I would have never worn it anywhere else for any other reason. Due to the fact that it was Halloween and we were “dressing up” my husband, who is normally very concerned about my dress… let it “slide.” I remember feeling very uncomfortable at the party in my fishnet tights and short shorts when I noticed all the men staring at me. Of course, why shouldn’t they, they didn’t see my costume as simply a fun dress up.  The year after, we did not attend any Halloween parties and we were no worse because of it. 

During the time we were living in England, God began working on my heart. He showed me that my soul actually rejected things of darkness. I used to love the movie “Interview with a Vampire” but I now found that I despised it. I used to love watching ghost stories, and I now found that I spurned it. God was changing my outlook on these things and He now had my attention and was turning my foot away from them. So out the door with these items of darkness went my personal interest to have anything to do with Halloween. 

The last time I participated in Halloween was at a friend’s Birthday party. Her birthday was on the 31^st of October, so by default they always had a Halloween themed party. She was my neighbor so I went, and I “dressed up.” That was the final time. I realized I really didn’t need to, I felt no better because of it. I left the party regretting ever dressing up.  I have not attended any type of party since that day. 

Today I am a mother with a 12 year old child. In her youth I would plan my shopping trips in October when my husband was home so I could leave her with him and avoid the ugly masks and such in the store. On the night of Halloween we turn off the outside lights and would sit in the inner rooms of our home and watch Bible themed movies and play fun games to forget about the evil going on outside. To this day, my daughter does not have a fancy toward Halloween. She doesn’t miss it and neither do I! 

Each of us has our own personal choices to make in life, many think “it’s all in fun” or “that’s not what it means to me. I feel that I am personally responsible for the decisions I make, it is between myself and God. I strive to live a life that is pleasing to God. I define everything in two categories: Light (Kingdom of God) and Dark (of Satan). With this simplistic outlook I can clearly categorize Halloween, without even watching all the videos and evidence of it’s occult origin, I can categorize it in the “Dark.”  I choose Light, and I pray that you would consider my words and do the same.  ~Shalom

Jos 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.