I understand the person who says, I have no regrets because all the circumstances of my life have made me the person I am today, but I don't completely buy it either. I have regrets! People that I hurt through thoughtless, selfish actions - I deeply regret those moments and decisions. Choices I made that stunted my spiritual and emotional development - those are things I would certainly do differently. Relationships that I took for granted, or damaged because I wasn't the man that I needed to be - all those things I deeply regret.
Now the flip side of all that is "what have I learned to make me a better person? I firmly believe that our mistakes, missteps and transgressions can serve as a catalyst to a better, more meaningful life. Regrets don't have to cripple us. No matter how henious, vile, or base the actions of my past may have been - God offers us redemption. Not only redemption from sin, but a redemption that frees us to be something better, someone who can make a difference.
We often forget that the apostle Paul (Saul of Tarsus), was the sworn enemy of the church, that he persecuted Christians and consented to their torture and death. I imagine he had more than a few regret, but look what he made of his life.
Regrets - yes, I have a few, but the possibilities for the future - Limitless.
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