LETTING GO OF REGRETS OVER OUR PAST FAILINGS
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Are regrets clouding your life? Are you living in the gloom of your past failings? Are you finding it difficult to forgive yourself?
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” – Luke 23:34
This is the heart of Christ. Our Lord loves us… and yet He knows us. He knows us… and yet He loves us. He is omniscient… all-seeing, all-knowing. And always all-loving. He understands our struggles, our temptations, our trials. He is familiar with our past… our sins, personal mistakes, unwise choices, naïve indiscretions. In His infinite goodness, He never abandons us to our failings. He is ever faithful to forgive.
“For we all stumble in many ways.” – James 3:2
Our Lord does not want us living under clouds of regret. He knows life is messy… and we are not perfect. He understands our errors, our missteps, our stumblings that fill us with regret. Some regrets are a direct result of sin, while others result from errors of thought, word or action that were not sin.
Perhaps we were unprepared for the situations or challenges we faced. Or we were unsure of the proper behavior or appropriate action. We may have been untrained, unschooled in the correct ways of handling people or events. Or maybe we chose poorly out of fear.
Perhaps we were acting on emotion rather than godly direction… not exercising wisdom and discernment. Or we wandered away from the Lover of our souls. We may have fallen prey to peer pressure, behaving wrongly… yielding to the influence of others who were not walking with God instead of looking to the Spirit’s counsel.
Whatever the causes of our regrets… whether sin, waywardness, inexperience, lapses in judgment, misperceptions of circumstances or naïveté in our awareness, we seek the compassion of our Redeemer. We seek His forgiveness of our sins and His redemption of our regrets.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10
Worldly sorrow is a mourning over sin because of the consequences reaped. True repentance arises from godly sorrow. God’s favor is upon those with a contrite spirit who grieve over sin. For the idea of falling short and disappointing others, self and God deeply saddens them. They are especially sorry for having failed God… for all sin is ultimately against Him. That should sadden believers more than anything.
Yet God, in His grace, forgives our sins. His Son paid the formidable price. When we humble ourselves before Him in repentance, He removes our sins forever from us, making us righteous in His sight. This is a key tenet of the Christian life… and His promise to all believers. As we truly accept and believe His forgiveness, our clouds of regret fade away.
“Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.” – 1 John 3:20
Our hearts, here meaning our consciences, may reproach us over past sins and mistakes. The many ways we have fallen short fill us with sorrow and regret. Yet we are not defined by our failings. We cannot stay mired in our past. Nor can we set standards for ourselves so high as to be unattainable. For we will always feel defeated and discouraged.
“God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things” alludes to His sovereign control, His unbounded grace and His constant love. Our conscience, our self-judgment is fallible. Yet God is not. We need to believe God’s view of us… to define ourselves by how He sees us rather than by our limited self-perception. For He is our biggest fan, forever on our side cheering us on.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
Always above the clouds, the sun shines. Remember that the Son is always there with us, although our clouds of regret appear to obscure Him. His welcoming presence assures us of His love, His acceptance, even when we are having difficulty accepting ourselves.
If Jesus does not condemn us, we ought not to condemn ourselves. We are redeemed. He has made us worthy. We take hold of this promise by faith. For He is working in us His good and perfect will despite our sins and failures. Nothing can thwart His sovereign, providential plan.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Our Savior’s grace is more than sufficient to cover our failings. Jesus removes the sting of our bad memories and clears away the clouds of our lingering regrets. The consequences may still be present. Yet the gnawing grief subsides in the presence of His unending mercy and grace.
As Jesus has forgiven us, we forgive ourselves. Our past is left forever in the past, “done and dusted”. We give ourselves grace, gleaning any lessons for the future from our sins, our mistakes, our wayward ways. We move forward with the Spirit’s light and guidance, keeping ever on the lookout for the ways our Lord will bring His promised redemption of our failings.
