Where Would YOU Go Back to- if you could...?

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 103:1-5

Since we moved to our new "camp in the woods" house, my husband and I have made it our practice each evening to take a walk down the road in front of our house.  It is a dirt road, surrounded by forest on either side, and no other houses on the stretch of road we have chosen to walk. So it is a quiet, peaceful time, just the two of us, walking side by side, (or in a single file if one of us decides to lag behind to look at something in the road like deer tracks, or bear poop, or tonight a garter snake crossing the road).  (I tend to be the lagger). 

Our son Scott (the "Whittler") has supplied us with some very lovely walking sticks.  He has actually enjoyed this new hobby, and the sticks are becoming more and more interesting as he whittles away.

Personalized walking sticks with our
names engraved in them.




These are pretty interesting...one even has
 "eyes"on it.  I call it my "Seeing Eye Stick",
instead of a
"Seeing Eye Dog"!
Ha!

  He even whittled mine with my name so no one else could claim it...or could it be in case I get run over by a herd of deer or a speeding 4 wheeler they could identify me by my walking stick?

So anyway, back to the walk...a couple of nights ago as we walked and talked, my husband asked me if there was a time in the past I could go back to (during my lifetime), when would it be?  I had to really think hard about that...I mean, I would certainly love to be young and strong and full of energy again...and to have the initiative and drive to be creative and make a difference in my life...but I truly cannot think of a particular time or age that I would want to live over again, even if I could do things differently.

As I read this Psalm above I am reminded to "forget not all of His (God's) benefits", which are many. I wonder if I would fully comprehend all of God's benefits if I had not lived through the many trials and tribulations (and joys and triumphs) through which I have already come.  And would I honestly appreciate the fact that He has forgiven all of my iniquities (sins) if I could go back to a time before I recognized what sin was in my life...I mean, do you think I would have not sinned at all if I could live life over again?  Probably not...sin kind of comes with the territory of being human...we were all born in it, and we are all prone to it...were it not for Jesus' saving grace, we'd all still be lost in it...

And then the part about Him healing all our diseases...yes, if I could, I would love to go back and take my children back with me to a time in life where we were not afflicted by diseases, heartaches, and sorrows.  If I could turn back time, I would want to protect my children more from the bad choices, difficult trials, and harmful attacks of this world...but then, would they (or we) be the people we are today? Would we have the strength of character and maturity (sometimes!) that only life's refining fires can produce?

No, I really don't know of a time that I can honestly say I would prefer to go back to...because no matter what stage of life we are in, there will always be new temptations, choices and obstacles through which we will have to persevere. But I can look forward to a wonderful future, because God has promised to "redeem (my) life from destruction, crown me with lovingkindness and tender mercies, and satisfy my mouth with good things...so that (my) youth is renewed like the eagle's" (my paraphrase).  I will continue to "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

So, where would YOU go back to in time, if you could?  Would you do things differently?  Yeah, maybe we all have those places in time that we wish we could have changed, but again...we are where we are today because of where we were before, and one thing is certain, God has been with us all the way...and He will continue to go with us as we continue along on this journey of life...so just take time to thank Him, and Bless His Holy Name...for He has done and will continue to do great things in our lives. We just need to take a walk and think about that!!!

This little bear says you are "Welcome" to my camp in the
woods house...come take a walk with me! We have plenty of
nice new walking sticks to help you find your way!