God Isn't Finished with Your Story

“We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” —Romans 8:28 (GNT)

Let’s face it: You and I are going to make mistakes. Sometimes we make foolish choices. Sometimes we say the wrong thing, take the wrong path, or simply mess things up.

But here’s the good news: Nothing you will ever do is beyond God’s ability to redeem and use for good.

You make mistakes, but God doesn’t. This should give us some comfort. Even if we mess up, we aren’t capable of derailing God’s ultimate plan.

Now, we can totally miss God’s plan for our life if we live rejecting his plan. But, this truth should take some pressure off of us. It doesn’t all depend on us. God’s plan can’t be messed up by my mess ups. God’s plan prevails. And, God can even use our mistakes and work them for good.

That doesn’t mean everything that happens is good. Some things are painful. Some choices have consequences. Some mistakes leave scars. But God is bigger than all of it. He can take even the things we wish we could go back and change and somehow work them into his greater purpose.

Now, there is an important part of this promise we shouldn’t overlook. Romans 8:28 isn’t saying that God will automatically work everything out for good regardless of how we live. This promise is for those who love God and are seeking to live according to his purposes.

In other words, we come to God and say, “I want to live for you. I don’t always get it right, but I want to follow you. I want to trust you with my life.”

When we do that, we can trust God with the mistakes, too. That should bring us tremendous joy.

Putting your life in God’s hands doesn’t mean you’ll never mess up again. You’ll still make bad decisions. You’ll still have moments you regret. You’ll still look back and wish you had done things differently.

But your mistakes don’t have the final word. God does.

There is no moment in your life that has caught God by surprise. He knew every wrong turn, every poor decision, and every failure you would make before you ever made them. And, he STILL loves you and he STILL wants to use you in his plan. How amazing is that?

That doesn’t mean we should be careless about our choices. It means we don’t have to live paralyzed by regret. You can stop replaying your past. You can stop wondering, “What if I had done things differently? “You can stop believing that one mistake has ruined God’s plan for your life.

Instead, give it to God. Learn from it. Ask for forgiveness when you need to. Make things right when you can. Then trust God with the rest.

You don’t have to have a perfect past to have a purposeful future.

So relax. Rest in God’s faithfulness. Do your best with what he has placed in front of you today, and trust him with everything you cannot change.

Your mistakes may be part of your story—but God is the one who gets to write the ending.

What is one step of faith you can take today as you trust God to work in and through your life—even in the areas where you’ve fallen short? He isn't finished writing your story!