C A R L B. G A R N E R
THAT OLD MAROON LETTER JACKET
I remember well the day it came. It was a typical August day, and my Northside High School letter jacket had finally come. I was only sixteen, and it was much too hot to wear it, but I put it on anyway and wore it around the house. How proud I was of that jacket, partly because it gave me some status that said I was "somebody." I had earned my high school letter, and it was really important to me.
Just the other day I saw that old maroon jacket with the big N on it. It had been in an old foot-locker along with some other old keepsakes, and and it was moth-eaten and worn. I remember how important it was when I got it, but now its value is pretty well gone. How can something that once was so valuable be relegated to the throw-away pile? You know how; because other things have taken its place, and its value has diminished.
Growing up is like that. What was so significant at one time is no longer held in such high regard. As a sixteen year old, letter jackets were almost more important than life itself, but now have been replaced by other things that were not even dreamed about back then.
As an adult I see sixteen-year-olds doing the same thing. Just the right kind of blouse or boots. A car that is "cool" (is that "the word" today?) Winning the big game. A date with a special girl or boy. All these were important at the time, but ten years later are almost forgotten. Other things take their place in our lives. Just like that old maroon letter jacket. There are some applications from this point that deserve our attention. The Bible says there are some things more important than others, Luke 12:20, Proverbs 11:4.
Note the Bible characters who placed some matters in higher places of priority than they deserved:
- Lot chose the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but he later realized that whatever he saw in those cities earlier was not enough to compensate for the evil that overwhelmed him later, Genesis 19. Don't you know he would like to have had a second chance at that original choice?
- David thought he had more important things to do than instruct his children in the ways of Jehovah. As king he had to rule the country and lead the army. But when his own son was killed trying to steal David's own throne, he realized his priorities had been misplaced, 2 Samuel 18:33: "And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
- Judas wanted many things, such as money and acceptance among his peers, but when he betrayed Jesus and realized the enormity of his sin, he tried to "undo" that betrayal. It couldn't be done, and his reputation is that of infamy and disgrace.
That which describes the plight of the preceding individuals is the word "regret." This term is defined as "a sense of sorrow about events and decisions in the past." All of us have experienced regret, and we know it is difficult to put it aside. There are plenty of regrets for all of us, many not worthy of our attention, but many others continue to carry tragic results. Looking back to my "letter jacket" days, I know there were many opportunities I neglected, many responsibilities I avoided. For this I feel deep regret, but there is nothing I can do today. However, knowing the pain of that regret, I can become more responsible when opportunities appear today, Philippians 3:13.
Consider these personal questions:
- As a parent, will you regret not having spent more time with your children? They are entrusted to us for such a short time, and the regret abides so much longer than any previous opportunities. Regret!
- As a student, have you thought of the responsibility you have to talk to your friends and family about the gospel? Ten years from now will you wish you had put less emphasis on the mundane and the material, and taken your opportunities more seriously? Regret!
- What about the way you treat the body God has given you, that tabernacle of your soul? Will you someday regret that you did not take better care of your body, preparing it for the days when the "letter jacket" would not fit and the organs of that body would need that which you never provided? Painful Regret!
- Will you regret the moral choices you made in your younger days? It is so easy to go along with the crowd, go where they go, do what they do, drink what they drink, seldom thinking of the effect this has on you and your influence. Peer pressure is powerful on young and old alike. The younger you are the more likely you are to choose the acceptance of friends rather than make the choices God calls righteous. But our choices have consequences, and they can often be devastating. Why not decide right now that you will follow the steps of Jesus, rejecting the way that leads to destruction, Matthew 7:13-14. His is a far better way, both now and in eternity. And the word regret will be just a word in the dictionary.
Even after all these years I hate to discard that old letter jacket. Those were good times, and I treasure the memories, but better things have replaced them. Now I could discard that old jacket....without regret.
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