Day 226/365- Jeremiah 31:19

"Kicking yourself"

I turned away from God,
but then I was sorry.
I kicked myself for my stupidity!
I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.' (Jeremiah 31:19 NLT)

I've heard the phrase "kicking myself" before but never in the Bible. Maybe it's the NLT or just 226 straight days of OT reading, but this one was hard to pass up! Since when does someone get to write about kicking themselves when it comes to their walk with God?

And yet, we have all had moments like this, right? You look back at decisions you made & times you have walked away from God & think, "Man, I could kick myself for that one!" Let's be honest, we have had one of those this week! And it's only Monday.

So, how do we avoid these "kick ourself" moments?

First, don't turn away from God. That's the first thing this verse says. When we sin, run to him not away! Don't be like Adam & Eve & hide. Don't run away from him, run to him. We should play hide & seek with God like a three year old. When they are done counting just run out in the open & scream, "Here I am!" We can avoid mistakes that make us want to kick ourselves if when we blow it, we go to God! Repent. Turn to him. This may prevent us going farther down a path away from him.

Second, think about you in the future. Think about what you would want future you to look back on & be proud of. This verse says the he kicked himself because of what he did in his younger days. He looks back with regret. Think about your life now. Is there anything that you are doing now that you would kick yourself for later? Are there any patterns that you will regret in the future? Have we asked, "How will this effect my relationship with God down the road?" My future spouse? My health? My finances? My friendships?

If we do this, we will find ourselves walking closer with Jesus & avoiding the things that we would want to kick ourselves for later.

What moments have you wanted to kick yourself for? What changes are you going to make to avoid future "self-kickings?!"