Then Saul said, "I have sinned!... Surely I have been a fool
and made a great mistake." 1 Samuel 26:21
Regrets... Do you have any? I think you'd be either a very special person or a very foolish one if you were to say No. Don't we all? As we look back on our lives there are bound to be things where we wish we could turn the clock back. Some of our regrets may be fairly trivial - a silly word which caused embarrassment, an opportunity which we missed to do something good, a petty weakness which we have never quite mastered. Trivial perhaps, yet they have left a bad taste in the mouth.
Other regrets are more serious. You did something that hurt someone badly. You took a disastrous career decision. You entered a completely wrong relationship. You got drawn into some kind of seriously bad behaviour. Whatever it was, it changed your life for ever - and now it's too late to put it right. And so you can echo the words of King Saul: "I have sinned!... I have been a fool and made a great mistake". (I'll leave you to read for yourself what Saul had done to make him feel that way.) For us the question has to be, "What can I do about my regrets?"
We can of course try to bury them in the past - to pretend those things never happened. But we will not succeed; they will always be there, lurking uglily in our minds, poisoning our consciences and destroying our peace. Otherwise, we have two choices. Which is it to be?
First, we can slump into despair, perhaps into a really destructive bitterness. We can brood, going over and over in our minds our folly and stupidity. Some people, tragically, allow their lives to be ruined by vain regrets. In extreme cases it can even lead to suicide. This can only be a victory for the devil, who loves nothing more than to destroy us.
But there is another way. This is what the Bible calls repentance. We come to God and hold nothing back. We admit our wrongdoing. We recognise that there is nothing we can now do. We humble ourselves. Then, by an act of faith, we receive God's forgiveness. And we discover that along with that forgiveness comes something wonderful - the chance to start all over again.
God loves to forgive, even where we cannot forget. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about the wrong we have done and the hurt we have caused - he does, he cares very much, and he knows that a price has to be paid. But the good news is that that price has been paid - why else did Jesus die on the cross?
I wonder if anyone reading this is living with vain regrets? Can I remind you that our loving God is the master of the second chance, the new beginning? He always has a bright new future for those who are truly sorry. Moses was guilty of murder. David committed adultery. Peter denied Jesus. Paul persecuted the church. But each went on to play a big part in God's purposes. So why shouldn't that be true for you too?
I don't think we ever forget the wrongs we have done and the mistakes we have made. Nor would it be good if we did, especially if they caused pain to others. But repentance is all about that most wonderful gift of God - hope. So - Go forward! Go forward as a forgiven sinner, and let the hope of God fill your heart!
Regrets... Do you have any? I think you'd be either a very special person or a very foolish one if you were to say No. Don't we all? As we look back on our lives there are bound to be things where we wish we could turn the clock back. Some of our regrets may be fairly trivial - a silly word which caused embarrassment, an opportunity which we missed to do something good, a petty weakness which we have never quite mastered. Trivial perhaps, yet they have left a bad taste in the mouth.
Other regrets are more serious. You did something that hurt someone badly. You took a disastrous career decision. You entered a completely wrong relationship. You got drawn into some kind of seriously bad behaviour. Whatever it was, it changed your life for ever - and now it's too late to put it right. And so you can echo the words of King Saul: "I have sinned!... I have been a fool and made a great mistake". (I'll leave you to read for yourself what Saul had done to make him feel that way.) For us the question has to be, "What can I do about my regrets?"
We can of course try to bury them in the past - to pretend those things never happened. But we will not succeed; they will always be there, lurking uglily in our minds, poisoning our consciences and destroying our peace. Otherwise, we have two choices. Which is it to be?
First, we can slump into despair, perhaps into a really destructive bitterness. We can brood, going over and over in our minds our folly and stupidity. Some people, tragically, allow their lives to be ruined by vain regrets. In extreme cases it can even lead to suicide. This can only be a victory for the devil, who loves nothing more than to destroy us.
But there is another way. This is what the Bible calls repentance. We come to God and hold nothing back. We admit our wrongdoing. We recognise that there is nothing we can now do. We humble ourselves. Then, by an act of faith, we receive God's forgiveness. And we discover that along with that forgiveness comes something wonderful - the chance to start all over again.
God loves to forgive, even where we cannot forget. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about the wrong we have done and the hurt we have caused - he does, he cares very much, and he knows that a price has to be paid. But the good news is that that price has been paid - why else did Jesus die on the cross?
I wonder if anyone reading this is living with vain regrets? Can I remind you that our loving God is the master of the second chance, the new beginning? He always has a bright new future for those who are truly sorry. Moses was guilty of murder. David committed adultery. Peter denied Jesus. Paul persecuted the church. But each went on to play a big part in God's purposes. So why shouldn't that be true for you too?
I don't think we ever forget the wrongs we have done and the mistakes we have made. Nor would it be good if we did, especially if they caused pain to others. But repentance is all about that most wonderful gift of God - hope. So - Go forward! Go forward as a forgiven sinner, and let the hope of God fill your heart!
Dear Father, as I look back in my life there is much I
feel ashamed of. But thank you that still you love me and want only good for me. I
pray for the people I have hurt or damaged - if there is any kind of recompense
I can make, then help me to make it. But thank you for a new start. Help me now
to go forward, not always looking back, and to live from now on a life of
Christlike holiness. Amen!
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