“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, “It might have been.”—John Greenleaf Whittier.

The Bible contains many stories of people who wasted much of their lives. Samson is a particularly tragic example. He was raised by godly parents. He had strength, intelligence and good looks. He was set aside by God to do great things. But because he continually chased after selfish wants and desires, Samson’s potential went unfulfilled. Oh, he did accomplish some things for the Lord, but reading the story of his life leaves us with the sad feeling that he could have done so much more.

This should encourage us to try to avoid Samson’s mistakes. We should put others ahead of ourselves. We should follow the advice of wise people God puts around us. Let’s live our lives in such a way that no one will mourn our death with the words—“It might have been.”