Regret-feel sad, repentant or disappointed over something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity. I don’t even like the word, ‘regret’. It just sounds bad. Regrets are bad, negative things, so why do we hold on to them for so long? Why do we let regrets seep into our hearts and souls, unpack their bags and hang out? Because, as humans, we have trouble letting go of things that cause regret.
I’ve often heard people lament over how regretful they were about a particular incident or timeframe in their life. They may be regretful about something that happened in a relationship, at work, at church, with a friend or a family member. They seem to always be able to remember the incident in graphic detail. I think that’s the way we are wired. We remember every little detail about things that make us sad. There’s a common theme to each person’s tale of regret: “I’ve always regretted it and I always will”. Each has resigned themselves to live with the regrets in their mind, heart and soul for the rest of their life.
Do you know that regrets keep you from reaching your full potential? They make you feel you aren’t worthy of success and they make you second-guess yourself. And it doesn’t have to be this way. We all make mistakes. We are human. We must learn to forgive ourselves of our own mistakes so that the mistakes don’t turn into regrets.
No regrets in 2018. Just lessons learned. ~Unknown
Decide today that you are going into 2018 with no regrets. Yes, I know that it doesn’t happen overnight. It isn’t easy to forgive yourself, especially if you have been holding on to regrets for a long time. But if you don’t forgive yourself and live regret-free, you won’t ever be the person God wants you to be.
If God has forgiven you, you can forgive yourself. See your mistakes as lessons learned, wipe the slate clean and move into 2018 with a lighter heart. You won’t know the tremendous weight of regrets until you come out from under their heavy weight. And if you’re around someone who wants to constantly remind you of your mistakes, they are not your tribe. Get away from them and surround yourself with people who are like-minded, who believe that mistakes are lessons learned and that God has forgiven you.
Sending you blessings of love and gratitude from Sterrett, Alabama!
Charity
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