1329) I have some regrets in my life and I know they need to stay in the past. Why? Because I cannot change them. I find myself wistfully looking back on my life to my young adulthood and wishing I could be the person I am now, then. I would love to have had the wisdom, insight, goals and priorities I have now but, if I carry this thought to its fullest extent, if I were like this then, I wouldn’t be the person I am now.

Is it ever helpful to look backward? I think so. Though I have regrets, looking back also gives me the opportunity for encouragement. I have set boundaries. I have held my tongue. I have placed my priorities on better things. I have learned not to sweat the small stuff.

In Titus 3:3, Paul recognizes that looking back can bring encouragement. The first thing he notices is he’s not as foolish as he once was. Is outgrowing foolishness a given? No. But many of us can look back and recognize we no longer approach things in a foolish, non-thinking manner. This is a good thing to honor within yourself because it is not a given.

Foolishness is not solely for the young, but when it is no longer a pattern in our lives, it’s something to celebrate.