What About Regrets?
The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
Lamentations 3:25 (NLT)
Writing today’s post was a challenge! I had written it; saved it; let it rest a bit before I re-read; edited; re-saved; and decided it was good to go to Stephen, my web manager. In the final step of saving the document, however, I managed to do something incorrectly and lost the entire post. So, I asked myself, “Okay, will you wallow in your regret, or will you get busy and re-write as much as possible from memory?” I chose the latter, and I hope the thoughts will be meaningful to you!
Last Saturday, Ron and I met our younger daughter for breakfast. Our Sarah is in the thick of a hectic season of life so occasions like this are treats.
As we were finishing our final cups of coffee, I expressed some regrets about ways in which I did not always manage life well during my own frenzied season.
The rest of that day, I kept thinking about the matter of regrets. So, I did what I often do, I went to Scripture to see what The Bible had to say about the matter. I appreciated the modern-day language of The Message translation of 2 Corinthians 7:10:
Distress that drives us to God … turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.
We all mess up. Ways in which we have messed up often cause private painful thoughts. That pain may lead to nagging regrets. Sometimes, regrets lead to distancing ourselves from God. And many of us have heard about folks who even carry the shame and guilt of regrets to their deathbed.
So, what does one do with regrets?
I believe the answer, no matter how simplistic it may sound, is to start with God, to allow regret-related-stress to “drive” me toward God, who IS LOVE. (1 John 4:8). Toward God who chose me (Ephesians 1:4). Toward God who planned for me before I was born (Psalm 139:13-16). Toward God who is weaving together even my regrets into the tapestry of my story for a good purpose (Romans 8:28-29). Toward God who promises me that nothing—absolutely nothing—can ever separate me from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
From that beginning point, there will undoubtedly be steps of healing I need to take. Some may not be easy. But, as I ask God for wisdom (James 1:5), Divine love will protect me and give me strength for every needed and beneficial action step.
You and I travel unique life roads. Along the way, we will encounter stressful obstacles, twists, turns, and regrets. I hope the words I have written today will encourage you as they have encouraged me to allow our stress to point us toward an all-knowing and always loving God.
Blessings on your journey!
