Regret

[Epistemes]

Should we have regrets?

I mean, that we’ll have regrets is common, yeah, but what does having regrets say about our relationship with God?

I regret several things which I did or didn’t do in my past, but how can I truly lament not doing what I ought? Is ‘what I ought’ what I already did, though? By not following through on x, did I effectively do ‘what I ought’?

Do I have regrets, or do I merely wonder if things would have turned out differently had I acted contrarily? Am I merely puzzling over something so idly circumspect that I am damaging my current prospects?

What if I don’t actually regret anything but am just feeling the residual emotion of a time long past? Is this nostalgia, for instance?

These are just some of the questions I have as I consider my life and what it means to truly trust in an invisible God. I still get scared, sometimes, ya know, trusting in that which I can’t see, but I have such little reason to trust in that which I do see – that which is transient, ever-changing, impermanent, and in flux.

Things aren’t so bad now, are they? I remember when my girlfriend of three years broke up with me and how I thought it was the end of the world; or when I endured that painful medical malady over the summer; or when my car repair bill was more than I made in a month. Things aren’t so bad now.

How can I have regrets? God has been so good to me all these years. How can I not forgive myself?

 

[Eucharisted]

Prayer is the key to Jesus’ Heart. Use it often.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

I would say no.

Spend time wisely assessing your wrongdoing and trying to figure out how to correct for it and prevent it in the future.

Yet, Moses killed a man and God still used him to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Look at what happened with St. Paul (from Saul). St. Peter betrayed Christ three times, and 11 out of the 12 disciples were not present at his Crucifixion.

It is good that you have a sensitive conscience.

Yet, I strongly suspect that one should spend time in deep and fervent prayer, sacrifice to God, humility, love, preaching the word to unbelievers like Jonah, Isaiah (and all the prophets who lost their lives to preach the Gospel). As long as you are doing your 100% now, you have availed yourself of the Sacraments to the best of your ability such as Sacrament of Healing and Confession, then regret may just be a temptation of the evil one to cause you to despair and lose trust in the love and mercy of Christ.

As Jesus said, as often as you beg my mercy, you glorify me! (Something like that at least in the Diary of St. Maria Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul)

May Christ, Mary, and Joseph bless, keep, guide, heal, protect, love, and care for you!! May your deep regrets, despair, lack of confidence, lack of healing, strong tempations, self-doubt be transformed, purified, cleansed, and healed through the glory of our Lord!! May the intentions of Christ, Mary, and Joseph be fulfillfed in your life.

 

[ahollars]

Regret is there to prevent you from making the same mistake again. Other than that, there is no real need to lament on personal regrets (unless you have not yet atoned for something). If you have made a confession, and completed your penance, then in the eyes of God you have done your duty. Anything else is always good, but not necessary. If you’re worried about something coming back to reckon with you, that is part of life that we must all accept, even if we’re afraid of our past.