Should-a, Could-a, Would-a

"There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth" - Psalm 72:16

One of my most annoying sayings is, "Should-a, could-a, would-a." I bring it out every time someone makes an excuse for not doing something. For example if someone says they wish they had done more laps in the pool, I would respond with ‘should-a, could-a, would-a'. If someone says that they would be more successful if they tried harder at school, I would respond with ‘should-a, could-a, would-a.' It highlights that there are many things we think we should have, could have and would have done differently if only we had known. However there's no point focusing on what we should have done, could have done or would have done. All we need to do is focus on the now.

Application: I often find that I am a little ‘should-a, could-a, would-a' when it comes to my faith. I will often find myself thinking, "I should-a helped that person more quickly"... "I could-a said that in a nicer way"..."I would-a praised God earlier if I knew He was going to help me this much." The great thing about the writer of Psalm 72 is that he doesn't seem to have much of a ‘should-a, could-a, would-a' attitude towards God. He doesn't look back and reflect on how much better it could have been if God had acted differently. No, instead he looks forward to what the possibilities are ahead of him and when he thinks of all the possibilities he praises God before He's even acted. There's no ‘should-a, could-a, would-a' but there's hope, there's future and there's a faithful God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us not to focus on the past. It's easy for us to see how good things could have been if we had acted differently. But instead, remind us of the hope we have in You for our future. Amen.

What do you need to let go of and leave in the past?

- Linda Bailey, Daily Devotions