Last week we had dinner with some friends who told us about their philosophy of buying souvenirs while on a trip: “If you think you really want the item, get it. If you think you might regret it if you don’t get it, buy it. You may never have a chance to buy that item again.”
Probably good advice. Regret is a terrible feeling.
Regret is another item we should throw out.
I do have regrets–especially in the area of my mouth. I regret hurtful words that have slipped out my mouth and can never be erased. I feel remorse over words I should have said when I had the chance and didn’t.
But God tells me,
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Isaiah 43:18
I can’t change the past. Events that have already happened cannot be taken out of the cedar chest and mended. We can’t fix what is already stitched in time.
God continues:
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
Isaiah 43:19a
The trouble with keeping my eye on the past is that I may not see the new thing God is doing now.
God tells me:
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19b
God can make something new out of the old. Something fresh and vibrant out the dusty and deserted. He can even make something good out of my mistakes. I don’t have the ability to mend the past, but He does.
So throw out regret. Don’t keep it as a souvenir of the past. Observe what God is doing in your life now.
Next step: Reread Isaiah 43:18 above. Turn it into a prayer asking God to help you throw out regret.
Follow Me!