Recently I was asked a question that made me think, and not just a let-me-think-and-answer type of thinking. I will probably be thinking about how to answer this question for the rest of my life. With every decision I make and everything I do, this question will always be in the back of my mind. The question I was asked was “What would you do differently?” While I thought at first I was able to answer that question at the time it was asked, I wasn’t. I got to remembering every regret I have and imagining what it would have been like if I did do things differently.

Memories of elementary school, middle school, and high school came flooding back. Things I did or didn't do, things I said or didn't say, classes I didn't pay attention to, and opportunities I didn't take. All of my regrets throughout my life came flooding back. I was about to answer my friend, rattling off a seemingly never-ending list starting with "If I had a chance...", but then I started thinking about that phrase "if I had a chance."

If I had a chance, if I was given the chance to travel back in time (which would be pretty cool because then I would be a time traveler), would I want to take it? The answer to that question is no, no I don't want to take that opportunity. You probably think that I am crazy for saying no, but I believe that all my past mistakes and regrets make me who I am today. I do not want to risk changing who I am today just to fix some of the embarrassment in my life.

So, to the friend I left answerless that day, here is my answer.

What would I do differently? I would have to say there's a lot that I would do differently. I have a lot of regrets in my life, but I won't give you a list or tell you any specific things
because if I had the chance to go back and redo it, I wouldn't. I love where I am today, and both my past mistakes and my regrets have helped me get to where I am today. If I changed some of things in my past, I may not have the friends I do, I may not be where I am, and I could be completely different.

I wouldn't want to change my past because God's plan is God's plan. He gives us the choice to pick the path He paved for us, or if we want to go the way we think is better. I may have chosen the path that I thought was better some of the times in my life, but I know for a fact that as long as I am willing, He will lead me back onto the path He paved. So, I don't need to do anything differently, and I don't want to. My regrets will be my regrets, but my future is shining brightly ahead, and that's what I need to focus on (and what I will focus on).

So, I'm sure there are things that you would do differently, but if you had the chance to change the past, would you take it?