At some point in most of our lives we come face to face with what could have been/what should have been. We may experience deep regret over the choices we’ve made and paths that we’ve taken. We are saddened by the years of “wasted” time, energy and opportunities. We agonize over the fact that we have unintentionally hurt both ourselves and those we cared about.
It is especially poignant for those in recovery. Addiction’s tentacles of damage reach far and wide. Almost without exception, recovering addicts experience deep pain and sadness when they start to wake up to all that the addiction has taken from them. They grieve the lost years and the damaged relationships. They beat themselves up over the fact that it took them so very, very long to realize how insidious the addiction actually was, and even longer to extract themselves from its relentless grip. They wish, more than anything, that life had an undo button. If only they could have the chance to go back and do things differently. But, they can’t.
For many, the regrets can be as hard to deal with as the addiction itself. Somehow they feel that true freedom is too good for them after all they’ve done. They willingly accept that they have ruined their lives and that there is little they can do to redeem it.
The truth is Jesus paid the price for our sin and every bad choice we ever made. He came that we might have LIFE and have it to the full—no matter what we’ve done. We no longer have to listen to the enemy’s lies that tell us there is no way out. Our worldly sorrow benefits no one, but when we let our sadness and regrets lead us back to the throne of God, things change in amazing ways. We can step out of our past and begin to live the life God always intended us to live.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but worldly sorrow brings death. —2 Corinthians 7:10
I’ve recently stumbled on a song that eloquently speaks the truth about our future. It starts out . . .
Hello, my name is regret. I’m pretty sure we have met. Every single day of your life I’m the whisper inside that won’t let you forget.
Hello, my name is defeat. I know you recognize me. Just when you think you can win, I’ll drag you right back down again, ’til you’ve lost all belief.
Oh, these are the voices. O these are the lies . . .
— From “Hello, My Name is” by Matthew West
If you aren’t familiar with the song, here’s a link to a video on GodTube: Hello, My Name Is. I hope it blesses you as much as it has blessed me.
“But now, this is what the LORD says . . . .Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep thinking about them. I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don’t you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
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