Skip to main content

Regrets

Every one of us has regrets. I think it's a normal part of living in this world. Some regrets are small, like having a second helping at dinner that makes our stomach upset. There are others that are big. These are the regrets that keep us up at night. They keep us wondering if we had just said something different or had been there a little earlier things would be different now.

I have no answer for how to deal with regret. Everyone is different and copes differently with this issue. Some bury regret deep down and let it fester, but never really acknowledge it. Others act out and their guilt or other feelings manifests as increasingly dangerous or risky behavior. Still others dwell in their regret and become depressed, running through scenarios over and over again even years later.

To be completely honest, I'm one of the latter people. There are days where my mind is filled with nothing but regrets of things I said (or didn't say) and did (or didn't do). I can stay awake for hours fretting over some minor interaction that happened ten years ago. Intellectually I know this doesn't accomplish anything and is bad for me, but it just keeps happening.

It's in times like this when I need to be reminded of just who God is. Lamentations 3:22-24

The steadfast love of YHWH never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"YHWH is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

For those of us who struggle with regret this is wonderful news and a challenge. No matter how guilty or bad we feel about what has happened in the past, God's love never ceases. His mercy is never ending. In fact, they are renewed every morning. This is good news because it means that regret is not the end of our story. It is not an unbeatable rut. It is a challenge because so many of us are so used to regret and guilt that the offer of God's grace seems wild and dangerous. Regret has sadly become our home.

I pray that as we all struggle with different regrets in all our different ways we can all say that God is our portion, that we are content with his presence. These few verses in Lamentations come after a long section of mourning, anger, and loss. These uplifting words come in the midst of immense grief and pain. Praise God that he never lets little things like hurt and heartbreak stand in the way of us and his mercy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, the day that we are supposed to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. It is a time of family reunions, football, and turkey eating. I sincerely pray that each and every one of you has a good day today. I'll admit that being thankful has not been easy for me this year. As pretty much all of you know, my mother passed away December of last year. Though she had been in the hospital for months, we were not expecting it. In fact I was sure she would be finally able to come home within a matter of weeks. Instead she peacefully passed on into the arms of Jesus, whom she loved more dearly than anyone else. As you can imagine, the entire family was heart broken. After what can easily be described as the worst Christmas ever, I returned to home to Illinois. It was here that I finally broke down. I spent the next months doing everything except being thankful. I cursed God, wept, screamed, begged to have her back, and was generally not the nicest person to be
3 comments
Read more

Matthew, The Promised Messiah

Imagine, if you will, living as a Jewish Christian in the first century. You grew up following the Mosaic Law and have studied the Old Testament backwards and forwards. The life of the synagogue, that shared community of faith, is precious to you. It was, for the longest time, the cohesive core of your walk of faith. You grew up waiting on the promises of God to be fulfilled. Now you've heard the good news you've been waiting for; the news the entire Jewish people have been waiting for. God has acted decisively! The covenant promises made to Abraham have at last been fulfilled! The Messiah has come! Eagerly you listen to those proclaiming the Messiah, a man named Jesus from the town of Nazareth. You listen and are astounded at his life and teaching. Truly this man was a great prophet, just as Moses promised. You listen in awe as your entire concept of royalty is turned on its head, as this Jesus assumed the throne as the promised king of Israel not by war or riches but by a
Post a Comment
Read more

Reading Aloud

What is the primary way we use Scripture today? I think the answer, at least in our society, is private reading and study. The majority of our spiritual advice can be summed up in "study the Bible more." The moral of many sermons is simply that we don't read the Bible enough. I think that this is absolutely true, but I probably mean something a little different. While I obviously agree that we, in general, don't read the Bible enough individually that isn't actually my main gripe. I think we don't read the Bible enough out loud, in community, as a part of worship. This, I think, should be a central part of our gatherings every week. We should simply read the Bible out loud and listen together in community. How much is the Bible read aloud in your gathering? I'm talking specifically about just reading, not during sermons or classes. How often is the Bible simply read without someone commenting on or explaining it? Just the Scriptures read aloud for all to h
Post a Comment
Read more