Have you ever regretted a decision that you made? Chances are, if you are old enough, you can think of several occasions in which you made a decision or ventured down a path that you wish you had avoided. Maybe words that were spoken or moments when we reacted that we wish we could undo. As we get older, and we appreciate time and realize how fast each day, week, month, and year passes, we often regret how we spent some of that time and energy. Most likely, one day we will look back and regret the time that we have spent on our smart phones and the endless scrolling through social media and wish that we had utilized that precious time in God’s Word or face to face with the people that we love.
Regret is a very complex emotion. Often, it has the advantage of hindsight and whatever the circumstance, regret cannot undo what has been done. But regret can also be a powerful motivation to make a change for the better! A very wise lady often says, “we can’t change the past, the question is where do we go from here”.
Philippians 3:13 “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” (ESV). We can’t let regret define who we are or who we are going to be. We must strive for what is ahead of us and the hope we have in Christ. Regret can alter our path in life if we regret the right things.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death (ESV). The sorrow we have for sin and being separated from God, leads us to turning away from that sin, which leads to salvation and is something we will not regret! Being sorrowful or grieving over things of this world, produces death.
When your time on Earth comes to a close, what will be your biggest regret? Will it be that you never obeyed the Gospel of Christ? Will it be the wasted time spent on “chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)? The question is, “where do I go from here?”