What Do You Do With Regret?

Regret can teach us, but it can also keep us stuck in a past we cannot change.

In this episode of FaithFuel, Bob Shaw reflects on missed opportunities from his teenage years and how God’s grace remains bigger than our fears, mistakes, and imperfect choices.

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Transcript

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Looking back can be helpful. Living there isn't. I'm Bob Shaw, and this is Faith Fuel. I moved to California as a freshman in high school when my dad's job was transferred. It was a difficult move. I left behind family, friends, everything familiar. The move also taught me something about myself. Making friends did not come naturally to me. I discovered I was an introvert. Going to a high school full of people who already knew each other felt intimidating. It seemed like everyone had a place except me. So instead of putting myself out there, I retreated to the library. I spent a lot of time reading in the back corner. It gave me a lifelong love of books, but it also meant I missed out on a lot of opportunities to connect with people. If I could talk to that fifteen year old kid today, I'd probably encourage him to take a few more chances. I could have tried out for the baseball team, joined the drama club, I could have pushed myself to meet more people. Instead, I played it safe. It's easy to look back now and wonder why. What was I thinking? What were you doing? And when I catch myself going down that rabbit hole, I remind myself that fifteen year old Bob did not know what fifty nine year old Bob knows. He didn't have decades of life experience. He didn't know how the story would unfold. He was just trying to navigate a difficult season the best way he knew how. We look back on decisions we made years ago and judge ourselves using information we didn't have at the time. I mean, regret isn't all bad. Sometimes it teaches us important lessons. It can reveal blind spots, help us make better decisions going forward. But there's a difference between learning from the past and living in the past. One helps us grow, the other keeps us stuck. Philippians 3 verse 13. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on. Paul wasn't pretending the past never happened. He just refused to let it define his future. And thankfully my story didn't end in that library. Life moved on, I went to college, made good friends, met a great girl who shared Christ with me, married her, God kept working, doors opened, opportunities came, a career developed, a family was built. Are there things I wish I had done differently? Of course. But God's faithfulness was never dependent on me making every perfect choice. And the same is true for you. Lord, thank you for your grace. Help us learn from the past without becoming trapped by it. Remind us that you are bigger than our mistakes, our fears, even the opportunities we missed. In Jesus' name, Amen. Regret can be a good teacher, but it's a terrible place to live. New episodes of Faith Fuel are available every weekday, and I'd be honored if you'd follow along and join me for the next one. Before you go, if Faith Fuel has been an encouragement to you, I'd be grateful for a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps more people find these devotionals. I'm Bob Shaw. Peace and joy.