— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
Thirty years ago, someone made a throw-away comment that has stuck with me ever since. This was, “an opportunity lost is a lifetime of regret“. I hope I have only lived half a life-time, but regrets certainly have clung to me, as I suspect they have to most of us. What I have recently been thinking about is this: my regrets certainly include opportunities lost, but also mistakes made. Opportunities lost, mostly from inertia and over-thinking, and mistakes made caused by not thinking enough. What a difficult balance!
This high-wire act says something about the nature of opportunity. Our lives are a series of moments, with each one presenting its unique mixture of chances for good or bad consequences. It seems to me, that being tuned to opportunity means we can participate fully in life-steering decisions. However, without being tempered by our experiences, living completely in the present opens us to every possible mistake.
Regret, that heavy, nagging emotion that creeps in when we wish we could change our past choices, is a feeling that I’m afraid we know all too well. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, however, we find a valuable message.
Paul, must have known all about regret. How did he manage the memories of his pre-Cristian life, with its violence against the very communities he went on to encourage? We must believe that it had something to do with his encounter on the road to Damascus. Saul became Paul, but his deep sense of regret cannot have been immediately and magically wiped away.
In Philippians, then, Paul offers a powerful lesson on dealing with regret:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Paul’s message is simple: we can’t change our past, but we can control how we deal with its aftermath. He urges us to focus on the present and turn our eyes constantly to the future, rather than dwelling on past mistakes. But how do we find our way, if we stop thinking about what has gone wrong in the past?
Paul goes on to tell us the answer:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Yet again, our answer is prayer. Regret often brings anxiety and turmoil. We worry about the consequences of our actions and the harm we may have caused. But Paul reminds us that we can find peace in the midst of regret through prayer. By asking ourselves, ‘can I take this action in the name of God?’, we surrender the burden of decision making, and trust in His wisdom. By talking to God and being thankful, we can more brightly experience His grace and forgiveness, bringing healing and restoration to our wounded hearts.
This may then be the redemptive power of regret; a drive towards God’s company, a trust that there He will show us our way, give us relief from our own negative thoughts, and eventually grant peace and true transformation.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 