If only I ..

Was chatting online with one of my used-to-be bestfriend in church. The chat really broke my heart man.
We were talking abt random stuffs like sch and extreme makeover, and suddenly we touched church. I casually asked if he miss church, he do but his heart is really hardened i can feel. To think that once he was that friend who kept me going, who encouraged me to go on no matter what and so on. I wonder what God is to him since he can leave church and God because of some misunderstandings.
I pray that one day he will come back and i knw he will. But by thn, everything will be different. We will be in the thousands, we will have our own facilities, many of us who stayed thru the yrs will be pastors, zone leaders, supervisors, cgls, worship leaders, vocalists, drummers, basists or at least being a radical regular having God's hand in their career. He can only look back and say - if only i didnt harden my heart that yr, if only i had faithfully do my quiet time thn, if only i didnt leave, if only ..

We live life with many if only.
Sometimes we regret listening to our friends and family. Ppl out of the situation are the ones who can see things clearly.
Many a times, we thought that only we knw how it feels to be in that situation. But the fact is that the ppl giving advice are the ones who have been thru it and looked back with many if only. No one would want their friends to live with the same regret and disgust.
If only i had listened ....