Wednesday; February 21

One sure way to make ourselves miserable is to try to live with regret. Life is hard by itself, it is even harder when we hamper our contentment with shame.

I believe that regret comes in two versions. The first is when we feel bad for missed opportunities. It is easy to regret doing things we could have done. There is a certain sadness that accompanies the thought, “I wish I would have …”. While this can be discouraging, it is the other type of regret that can become a major barrier to joy. This version of regret is described as feeling bad for what we have done. This emotion is often associated with harming other people. Whether the hurt is physical, spiritual or emotional, mistreating others can create guilt in our lives. The bad news is that regret can be a powerful feeling, but there is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a way to deal with regret. The first thing we need to do is to make amends when possible. We can’t undo what we have done, but just might be able to make up for what we did. I realize there are times when this isn’t possible, but I believe there are a lot more instances when it is possible, we just need to try. The second solution is to seek forgiveness. Regret can be eased by soliciting forgiveness from the person we hurt, from God and, finally, from ourselves. Again we won’t be able to take back what we did, but when we are truly sorry for it, we can move forward.

Are you living with regret? Can you do something about it?

Think About It!

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