Everyone lives with some form of regret.  I regret not going to college right after high school, but I do not regret marrying my wife of now 45 years. I regret giving up wrestling my junior year, but don’t regret dedicating myself to running, although regret playing football those years that would have better served me running cross country.  Here I am 64 years of age and can reflect on regrets in high school, sounds silly but even little regrets can negatively impact us.  You may have regrets of decisions you made in the past, maybe decisions that negatively impacted others too.  I regret not answering the call to ministry which I felt called to at 17 years of age [didn’t feel the call again until I was 40], but I do not regret accepting the call to salvation at 15 years of age, nor do I regret pastoring these past 20 years.  I regret not spending more time with my little brother Doug, he passed away in 1989.  The bible is full of stories of men and women who had to live with regret.  Moses regretted hitting the rock when God told him to speak to the rock.  David regretted having an affair with Bathsheba and having her husband sent to the front line of battle.  Paul, then Saul, regretted persecuting the church.  Peter regretted denying Jesus three times.  Sarah regretted having her maidservant Hagar have a child with Abram. Thomas regretted doubting the resurrection of His savior.  Judas regretted betraying Jesus.  Adam and Eve regretted eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, we could go on and on.  It is well said that “everyone has a past, but thats just it, its in the past.  You can learn from it, but you can’t change it.” - Nicholas Sparks.  It is said too “You can’t go back and change the past, but you can start today and make a different future.” - Unknown

Better yet, the Bible says “if we confess our sins, He [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” 

- Psalm 103: 12

Obviously a regret is not necessary a result of sin, but could be. But whether it is or not God does not want us to live a life of regrets.  He wants us to live in the present!  Like Paul, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” - Philippians 3: 13b

Easier said than done, but not impossible with God’s help via His word and Holy Spirit. The book of Proverbs gives us some wisdom on mitigating regret - “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” [4: 25-27].  Constantly looking backwards prevents you from moving forward. Said another way, “you can’t move forward with your hands full of yesterday.” 

Don’t live with regrets, live in the present by the grace of God and move forward!

The Serenity Prayer may apply, 

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference…” - Reinhold Niebuhr 1892-1971

Pastor Rodney