No Regrets
I recently read the following post on Facebook and of course I had to think about it way too much - my wife tells me.
"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take, relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make."
Sounded wise at first, but then it became sad to me. By "In the end," I suppose the author is referring to the end of this life. And I guess he is assuming that most people actually reflect on their lives before they actually die. I doubt it. However, it is true that at the end of this life all of us will have had chances we did not take, relationships that we did not pursue, and decisions that we put off too long. But since we find no comfort in reflecting upon those regrets, most people comfort themselves by reflecting on the chances they did take, the relationships they did have, and the good decisions they did make. Regret of any kind is too depressing. When the time comes, I will choose not to go there because at that time all failure is history and I will not be able to do anything about it. I will know that my history and my future is in the hands of a loving, merciful, and gracious Father who sent His son Jesus to deal with my failures.
"In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take, relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make."
Sounded wise at first, but then it became sad to me. By "In the end," I suppose the author is referring to the end of this life. And I guess he is assuming that most people actually reflect on their lives before they actually die. I doubt it. However, it is true that at the end of this life all of us will have had chances we did not take, relationships that we did not pursue, and decisions that we put off too long. But since we find no comfort in reflecting upon those regrets, most people comfort themselves by reflecting on the chances they did take, the relationships they did have, and the good decisions they did make. Regret of any kind is too depressing. When the time comes, I will choose not to go there because at that time all failure is history and I will not be able to do anything about it. I will know that my history and my future is in the hands of a loving, merciful, and gracious Father who sent His son Jesus to deal with my failures.
So, no regrets. I trust Him to change me and to plant me as a beautiful tree of righteousness. I trust that I will be full of joy, and clothed with the garment of praise - all to the glory of His GRACE.
"... to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)
"... to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3)