Regrets?

Yes, I'm still on the journey of meditating on humility but something grabbed my attention yesterday I had to think about.

Do you have regrets? Are there things in your life you wish you hadn't done or activities you wish you had accomplished by now? I hate the word potential and the older I get the more the word kind of bugs me.

You see, potential speaks of what might be, not of what is presently happening. It's a great word for a freshman quarterback who is going to be great when he's a junior and has more experience. The older one becomes the greater chance that person won't reach their potential. That causes regrets.

I have all kind of regrets.

I wish I had loved my kids better.
I wish I had been more pure in my thought life.
I wish I had handled money better.
I wish I had been more relational with the people I've worked with.
I wish I had spent more time alone.
I wish I had sought the heart of God more.

Regrets look at the past and cause guilt and shame. If I understand the gospel correctly it teaches that Jesus makes all things new, present tense.

Here's what caught my attention yesterday.

"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way that HE loves me".

Jesus has loved and is loving me perfectly. I don't have time to regret. Jesus is making us new and is using us to love those around us.

May we be people who forget what is behind and press forward. We don't have time to dwell on the past, there's too much at stake in the future.