Lord, help me to enjoy the memories I have of my children as they have grown and moved toward independence. But, help me not to dwell so much on "those days" that I miss "these days" we are living now, and enable me to enjoy them to the fullest.

Lord, help me never forget the times and the ways you have delivered me in the past, but do not allow me to think that Your days of deliverance are over, and help me never doubt that You will continue to deliver me in the future.

Lord, help me stop dwelling on the mistakes of the past to such an extent that I am paralyzed with fear of making another mistake.

Lord, remind me that my sins have been forgiven and that I am free to live a life of victory with confidence and boldness in the future.

Lord, thank You for enabling me to accomplish some good things in my life, help me to not be satisfied with those things already accomplished, and help me to continue to rely on You for everything I endeavor to accomplish in the future.

Lord, help us as Your people, to let go of the past, to admit where we have failed, rejoice where we have succeeded, and move on toward what You have planned for the future.

Lord, I have wasted too much time dwelling on the past.

Lord, help us to take responsibility for our oversights of the past, learn from them, and venture into the future without guilt, or regrets, and be fully determined to do a better job as Your ambassadors to the world in the future.

Lord, You have brought us through tragedy and triumph. You have never failed us. We have every reason to believe that our future with You will be glorious. So, let us live today to the fullest and with confidence and with hope.

Consider the example of Moses:

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel (Hebrews 11:24-28 NIV).

The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry by Henri Nouwen The modern classic that interweaves the solitude, silence, and prayer of the fourth and fifth century Egyptian Desert Fathers and Mothers with our contemporary search for an authentic spirituality.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

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