Life’s Regrets

Years ago I saw a preacher who was giving his testimony. His parents had died when he was little and a couple with not much means adopted him as their son. The preacher stated that his father was a big man, kind and gentle and never spanked him. But every night before bed the gentle father would take him in his arms and sit him in his lap and they would talk about the day. He would praise the boy where praise was due and then sum it up with the things the boy had messed up on that day and the father would tell him he was disappointed and for him to do better the next day. Just hearing the father say he was disappointed would break the boy's heart and he vowed to do better.

Some people say we should just live life to the fullest and throw out all regrets to the wind. Well unless I’m scheduled for a lobotomy that will not happen, I live with my regrets and some of the mistakes I’ve made cut to the core of my heart because regrets are painful. They teach us some of life’s greatest lessons. But I've learned from regrets is not to do that the next time. I don’t try to constantly dwell on them and I have had to ask God to soften painful memories which he has over time, but I do need Jesus to take me in his loving arms each day and show me how I made him proud and how I can do things that disapointed him better the next time. If we didn’t have regrets we wouldn’t need a savior to forgive us our sins because regrets are caused by sin. They are caused by wrong choices. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son Jesus, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.: John 3:16

The father God is a good God who wants us to have a joyful life, but I can’t do it without Him. He is good and always faithful. He loves you and me with an undying everlasting love and his lap is always available. Yes, we will always have regrets but the coming victories can far outweigh them if done in Jesus name.