Regrets – it’s impossible to live without having them! Things we said or didn’t say! Some things we should have done differently!
Here Judas and Peter both do something they very much regret. One betrays the Lord, the other denies Him.
Feelings of regret can be overwhelming. A deep mental distress and sorrow that clings to us – can’t seem to shake!
Unresolved regrets just keep chipping away at our life and bringing us down. If we don’t find the way to cope with them, they can even destroy us.
Dealing with regret was Mission Impossible for Judas.
“I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Peter, on the other hand seems to successfully deal with his regret - And he went outside and wept bitterly.
This is the healthy response to regret. He properly grieves! Tears, self-recrimination, confessional prayer! All of that!
In time, the raw inflamed memory is soothed by Jesus’ forgiveness and Peter rises above regret to live and serve again.
Learning to get past regret is possible! Must be! For our regrets ultimately play a role in our destiny. If we hang onto them, they only serve as painful reminders of our failures and become stones in our hearts.
If we grieve and take them to Jesus, they can become valuable lessons in character-building, stepping stones on the way to fulfilling our destiny to become more like the Teacher.
Dealing with our regrets isn't Mission Impossible. With Jesus it is Mission Accomplished!
Regrets can certainly change our lives for good or for bad.
ReplyDeletePsalm 51 is one of my favorite psalms
because it is David dealing with his guilt.
He pours out his heart for God and begs for forgiveness - before Christ!
We now have the perfect sacrifice.
We now have forgiveness promised in Christ
Of course, it takes repentance like David
Notice how David deals with it, even after Psalms 51.
When his child from the adulterous relationship is sick and dying, he mourns and cries out to God. When the child dies, he gets up and moves on with life. He accepted the consequences, but didn't let it stop him from living.
Peter did the same - he wept bitterly...
50 days later, He's preaching Jesus as Christ
in Jerusalem on Pentecost.