I was recently talking to a young man who had just married the love of his life and was excited about fulfilling his dreams and future with his new bride.

As we talked, I mentioned a statement that has helped me in my own life:

God can take you anywhere from where you are right now.

My young friend was blessed as we discussed this thought for a few moments, magnifying God’s ability to direct our lives and fulfill HIS purpose for us, even if we make wrong choices or are hit with unexpected difficulty.

It’s such a liberating concept!

Looking back on our lives, we see God’s loving hand guiding us through amazing adventures, everyday life, as well as dark, painful seasons. We’re thankful His grace was ALWAYS there to help us, sustain and lead us on.

Too often, many get caught up thinking THIS has to happen or THAT has to be different before God can use us, bless us or give us direction.

Others may feel their past, poor decisions or some misfortune they experienced has basically ruined their life.

But the truth is,GOD KNOWS WHERE WE ARE and WHERE WE’VE BEEN, and He is bigger than our facts, faults and misfortunes. He can show us the way out, turn our mistakes into masterpieces, and our tragedies into testimonies of His grace.

As Paul said, We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. (Romans 8:28 NLV)

The Bible is very transparent about great men and women of God who made really bad choices. Some of our greatest heroes like David, Moses, Abraham, Peter and others, fell prey to various temptations like murder, adultery, lies, deception and disobedience.

Yet each one who repented and kept their hearts after God was able to see the fulfillment of His promises in their lives.

And that same grace is available to help in each of our lives!

The key is this: Keeping our eyes on HIM, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He can complete what He began in us, no matter what we encounter.

Our future is not about our past, what we did yesterday, or what we didn’t do. Although these factors may have affected the here & now, focusing on God’s grace, repenting & trusting Him can transform the forecast of our lives from bleak to bright.

We only have today, so let’s make it meaningful.

Dwelling in the Whys, What Ifs and Failures of yesterday will only paralyze today and compromise tomorrow.

If we focus on Jesus as we guard our hearts and minds today, God can take us into the plan that He has prepared for us from where we are right now!