No Regrets - Encouragement Café - May 2, 2017
No Regrets
By Noelle Dey
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 NIV
Walk barefoot. Pick daisies. Dance as if no one is watching. Wag more, bite less. I’ve read the inspirational books. They motivate me to live differently. And I do.
Until my phone starts buzzing and my to-do list beckons my attention.
For the majority of my life, I’ve lived as if time would go on forever. In the back of my mind I have thought, “When I’m in my last days, I’ll get things straightened out.”
Maybe I should also mention that I tend to learn lessons the hard way.
Because I found out that my last days could happen at any time. When I was 28, my heart failed and my doctors knew I was sure to die.
During that tumultuous time, I lived in a cloud of regret. No, I never picked daisies. I rarely danced and I probably bit more than I wagged.
However, those regrets paled in comparison to my outrageous fear. I had out-of-body experiences during my emergency surgery, and I found myself in an indescribable light.
Although I had accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I never took the time to really know Him. I mean, I did the right things on my checklist. I went to church most Sundays and read daily devotionals. But that third-person relationship left much to be desired.
In that moment, when I thought I might meet Jesus face to face, I was filled with panic instead of joy. Regret can sting.
But it can also be life-giving.
Because when we offer our regret to God, He transforms it into an epic blessing since regret begs us to live differently.
Are you living under the burden of regret? Although our stories are unique, they all have a common theme. If we offer our regret to God, He can use it to transform us by changing our hearts.
For me, I cried out to God, asking Him to forgive me for my indifference. I told Him I wanted to know and love Him like never before.
God received my offering of regret, and He kissed my wounds. He took my devotional time and changed it into intimate Father-daughter dates. I continue to ask God to help me fall deeper in love with Jesus, and He honors those prayers.
And you? Isaiah 61:3 says that God wants to give you “a crown of beauty instead of ashes,the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Will you join me and take your first step of transformation? Hold your deepest regret in your hands and lift it to God. His offer in Isaiah 61:3 is for you!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us more than we could ever imagine. We are weary and burdened with regret. We are offering it up to You asking for transformation in Jesus’ Name. Show us in very practical ways how to learn from You. Help us to turn from our regret, make necessary changes and get rest for our souls. Thank You for giving us a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
© 2017 by Noelle Dey. All rights reserved.
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