Split Second

Have you ever done something in the blink of an eye that you instantly regretted?  …Of course not.

You wish you could hit rewind and reel those snarky words back into your mouth.  Or dodge the car in front of you that your bumper just kissed.  Or un-dance like Seinfeld’s Elaine at the office party.

But you can’t.  Just like that (can you hear me snapping?) it’s out there and can’t be undone.

I spent yesterday in a court room. A friend was on trial for one of those snap moments. He’d been in a hard place emotionally and made a dumb decision in public–he’ll tell you the same thing.  No one was hurt, and in most situations it would be no cause for lasting concern, but in this particular situation it carried consequences.  Those consequences could’ve ranged from very minor to very serious. I know that’s vague, but my point is this: while the jury deliberation dragged on, my friend commented quietly, “You know, something you do in a split second can jeopardize everything you’ve worked for over 30 years.” Those words struck me.

His future rested in the hands of fellow citizens.

While we all waited and waited, I doodled some poetry and thought about what he said.  My mind’s eye meandered through the graveyard of my own, big split-second regrets. It wasn’t a long path, but it also wasn’t a pleasant jaunt.

Funny how those things can alter our life. Some have minor consequences, some major, switching our path to one side or the other. I finished my trip down regretful memory lane, mentally sitting down to rest. God whispered to me, reminding me that He can take all things and fashion them for His purpose. I smiled, and glanced back at the path I’d just taken, spying flowers growing up to overtake the graves of regrets, buried by His grace. Beauty triumphed.

I’m so thankful that, despite mistakes, our future rests in His hands.