All the Feels - Leading Our EmotionsSample

DAY 12: REMORSEFUL / REGRET

It happened. You wish you could stop the loop playing over in your mind of what you did or how you said it. If only you could go back and do it differently. You didn’t really mean for it to go this way, you just weren’t thinking straight! The truth is, our choices do have consequences not only to ourselves but the people in our lives and we cannot change whatever happened.

When people experience regret it can lead to guilt, which usually triggers shame. Shame swiftly opens the door to a myriad of self-deprecating feelings like unworthiness, inadequacy and a desire to hide and withdraw from intimacy.

Here is what we can learn. Again, we see how our feelings could lead us away from what is truly best if we don’t bring them under submission to the Word of God. The enemy wants us to focus on our unworthiness and withdraw, while the Bible reminds us that even though we sin and mess up, the Lord offers us forgiveness so we can still do our part to make amends with those we hurt.

There is an old word that we need to bring back again. It’s called RESTITUTION. Google it. It’s the principle of not just saying “I’m sorry,” but taking steps to restore back whatever was lost, stolen or damaged.

When you feel remorse or guilt, instead of spiraling into shame, ask the Lord for the courage to bring restitution and put the pieces back together of whatever has been broken.