Pastor Jen reminds us that while every person carries some form of regret, God’s grace is greater than our failures, and His redemption story is still being written in our lives. No matter what mistakes, heartbreak, or “if only” moments we carry, God is not done with us—He is still bringing healing and restoration!
Notes 📓✏️:
What is regret?
• to be very sorry for (e.g., a mistake, a decision)
• sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one’s power to repair
• to mourn the loss or death of
As followers of Jesus, what do we do when we can’t undo what we’ve done?
How do we move past regret?
1. Remember
2. Repent
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV)
Regret will be a prison, but repentance is a pathway.
Regret
Looks backward
Feels sorrow
Produces shame
Focuses on failure
Emotional
Repentance
Turns forward
Changes direction
Produces transformation
Focuses on God
Directional
3. Release
“No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.”
Philippians 3:13–14 (TLB)
ἐπιλανθάνομαι (forgetting) – epilanthanomai to neglect, to no longer care for
“…looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.”
4. Refocus
Repentance means we refocus – From what we did to what He did!
Discussion Questions 📝❓:
- Pastor Jen shared that is “to be very sorry for a mistake or decision” and creates “sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one’s power to repair.” Do you agree with the description that regret can feel like being trapped underwater?
- Pastor Jen explained that biblical heroes like Moses, David, Paul, and Peter all experienced regret from their mistakes. How does knowing that Go used these imperfect people anyways encourage us when we’re dealing with our own failures?
- What’s the difference between regret and repentance according to Pastor Jen’s comparison chart?
- What does it mean to you that “regret is a pathway”?