11 Things I Regret and 1 Thing I Never Will

Maybe the hardest part of forgiveness is self-forgiveness. There is no doubt that God forgives, and I’m grateful for so many in my life who have shown me forgiveness throughout the years. However, I know my weaknesses, and my brain–like yours, I’m sure–refuses to let me forget things that I know I’ve been forgiven of.

Some of that isn’t good, but it’s not all bad, either. A feeling of regret is helpful when confronted with the same temptations or struggles later in life. Wisdom demands that we remember and use that regret as motivation to do better.

This post is not meant to be a “tell-all” (sorry if you were expecting that), but I do want to share 11 things I regret.

I regret…

…times when I have not been “there” for my kids the way I should have, and put them far further down the priority list than they should be.

…days when I don’t listen to Leah closely, showing her that her thoughts are truly important to me.

…missed opportunities to invite others to worship or speak a word for the Lord.

…losing my patience with the kids, and not showing them how to properly handle anger or frustration.

…many entertainment choices in years gone by (which is one reason I blog about it quite often).

…tons of sermons where I know I preached the truth, but didn’t do so with passion.

…not bridling my tongue when “going for the laugh,” often at someone else’s expense.

…times when I didn’t visit the sick or shut in like I should (something I’m improving at, but still struggle with).

…struggling to be committed to prayer, especially when things are going well.

…dealing with laziness, especially at home.

…too often, being reactive instead of proactive.

…not honoring my parents and sister as often as I should. (They so much deserve honor!)

Now, before you get ready to comment and say, “Oh, it’s okay. We all struggle with stuff,” let me get to the point of this post.

That list could be quite a bit longer. I have lots of regrets, some general and some specific. My mind can go back to many events, moments, and conversations when I was not what I should have been. If we’re honest, we can all do that.

But there is one thing I will never regret.

As many things as I may do (or fail to do) that bring regret, I will never regret that when I fail, it’s because I’m striving to reach the standard of Jesus Christ.

Though I’ll never get there, I can live without regret because He’s helping me be more like Him, and His hand will help me rise up and over my regrets each day.

And that’s something I’ll never regret!

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Photo credit: Richard Summers on Creative Commons

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