Today’s Post By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis
I had signed up to go on an overnight retreat at our new church. Since it was a chance for me to connect with other Christian women and get to know a few people, I was really looking forward to it.
There were many errands to run before leaving my family for the weekend, but as it turned out, there weren’t enough hours in the day. When I got home, I barely had enough time to pack a few items and rush out the door.
Several of the ladies planned to meet up for dinner at the hotel restaurant beforehand, and I was invited to join them. When I finally arrived, I walked into the restaurant feeling flustered because I was late. Every seat at the table was filled except one—mine. I tried to enjoy the dinner conversation, but my mind was stuck on the fact that I had been late and was not making a very particularly good impression on my new church family.
After dinner I excused myself to get my bags from the car and check into my room. Upon coming back downstairs, I noticed a few ladies still lingering at the dinner table, so I walked over to rejoin them. One of the ladies jokingly asked if I had forgotten something and pointed to the dinner check lying on the table where I had been sitting. My heart sank!
I totally forgot to pay my bill. I promptly resolved the situation, but not before feeling like a complete idiot. I tried to enjoy the rest of the weekend, but feelings of guilt and inadequacy kept haunting me.
Satan loves to bog us down with guilt and shame over past mistakes. He figures that if he can bury us in a pit of regret, he can keep us from moving forward to take hold of that which Christ has for our future. And oftentimes he’s absolutely right.
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” (Isaiah 43:18)
Guilt serves its purpose when it motivates us toward repentance (turning away from sin) and keeps us from repeating certain unhealthy behaviors or mistakes. However, we must make a conscious effort to not wallow in the swamp of regret. Instead, we must allow God’s cleansing blood to do its work in our lives and free us from the guilt of our past. In this way, we can move onward toward our future in Christ.
We all make mistakes. Simply stated—we are not perfect. But instead of giving the enemy more ammunition for his attacks by wallowing in the swamp of regret, we need to admit the error of our ways, do what we can to make amends, and move on.
‘Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
