During Lent, we practice repentance and reflection, and we experience forgiveness and new beginnings. I recently read a devotion which said, “When fresh beginnings are stalked by the memories of stale endings, a sickly substance can steal our strength: regret.”
As we experience new beginnings, as we strive to move forward, it can be difficult to do so if we continually look to our past, to our failures, and shortcoming. It is so easy to get hung up on saying “I ‘should-a,’ ‘could-a,’ and ‘would-a’ and as a result miss out on “I ‘shall,’ ‘can,’ and ‘will.’
2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” And in our new life, there is no room for regret, only for faith, hope, and love.
When we repent, we express our regret, and then leave it in the past. We ask for forgiveness and then choose a new path. This is a path away from the sin and away from the regret. This is a path towards a new life. In God’s mercy, He forgives our past. And in His grace, He promises us a future.
Today, as you fast from regret, use the time you find to dream about the future, to focus on God’s promises, and to allow hope to fill the space where regret once roamed.