Haunted by past mistakes

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Do you feel good about yourself? Have you earned the kind of grades in school that you were capable of? Have you done the kind of work that earns promotions from upper management? Are you satisfied that you have been the best friend, lover and parent that you could be? Can you look back at the decisions you’ve made over the years and feel good because they were the right ones? Is your life everything you hoped it would be?

If you answered ‘yes’ to all these questions, then I congratulate you on a life well lived. But if you’re like me, you have accumulated some regrets. You’ve failed people that you care about. You’ve failed yourself. And no matter how hard you try, there is no way to go back and make those failures right. All you can do is learn from the past and try to do better in the future. At least, that’s what most people say.

But how comforting is that notion, really? I know folks who carry the weight of past mistakes around with them like a sack of wet cement. Sure, they try and learn from their mistakes, but that doesn’t ease the guilt for the pain they’ve caused, nor does it take away regret over paths not taken. How do you apologize to someone when they’ve moved and you don’t know how to find them? How can you get back the job you were fired from? How can you make up for the years that slipped away while you were drunk or high on drugs? Not only that, but how often do you find yourself repeating the same old mistakes? Have you really learned from the past, or are you a slave to your bad habits? No, there is little comfort to be had from trying to learn from the past and just moving on.

To be free of regrets, the mistakes of the past must be faced and dealt with. But how can it be done? You can’t take back hurtful words or punches to the face. You can replace stolen property, but how can you restore someone’s trust in you? Honestly, it would take a miracle. But don’t despair—miracles do happen! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was and is the greatest miracle worker of all time! He has freed people from birth defects and untreatable illnesses. He has ended storms with a word of command and raised the dead back to life. But His greatest miracles of all take place within the human heart. He makes hard-headed skeptics to believe in Him, even though He remains unseen. He sets aside God’s judgment on sinners who come to Him for mercy. He makes it possible for us to forgive each other and leave the past behind. So ask Jesus to forgive you and take away your guilt. Only He has the power to set you free; only His love can rid your heart of the deepest pain and replace it with joyful hope for better days to come.