If I Knew Then What I Know Now

Remember the old saying, “If I knew then what I know now”?  How many times would you send the older, wiser you back in time to gently knock some sense into the younger, clueless you?  Chances are many of us would not listen to our own advice because lessons are learned best through experience. In first Samuel chapter 8, God’s chosen people, the Israelites, decided they knew better than God, which is always a mistake.  They were so intent on having a king that they did not listen to God’s warning in 1Samuel8:17-18 “He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” The people responded in 1Samuel8:19-20 “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” The Israelites were so focused on what they wanted that the consequences did not concern them.  As a parent, I witness my kids doing something I have told them not to on a daily basis.  Sometimes they actually look at me, smile, and proceed to do it anyway.  As God sees us as His children, He might share some of our frustrations as parents, when we do things we know we should not.  When I was pregnant with my son in the middle of July, 40 plus pounds heavier and miserable, all I could think about was having him as soon as possible.  I remember visiting my OBGYN in the last week of my 3rd trimester and she told me I could be induced.  My response was, “Can we do it tomorrow?” She began explaining that elective inductions can lead to things like failure to progress and increases the risk of C-section.  I know that I heard her,  but nothing she said mattered because I had already made my decision.  I knew plenty of  people that had been induced and they were fine.  Twenty-four hours after induction, there was no progression, and I had to have a C-section.  It was a draining 26 hours, both physically and mentally. In the end, I got what I wanted but I definitely regretted my decision.  God has a purpose even for our mistakes. He was able to make His own King, Jesus, from the descendants of David.  If we allow Him,  He can pick us up from the nastiest falls and teach us how to prevent it from happening again.