Well, It’s another Sunday morning. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:10-11 (ESV)
When I was a young man trying to make a living for my growing family I would take all the hours at work that they offered me. There was a time I worked some very long hours to earn a living to support us. This didn’t just happen once a week, it was more like every day or every other day I would work these long hours.
On my only day off one week my dad called me out of the blue. He said he was driving through the state heading back home and would be within 25 miles of me and wondered if I would like to meet for coffee. I told him that I couldn’t meet him I had something I had to do that I couldn’t change. This simply wasn’t true, I was tired and just didn’t want to get out of the house that day. I don’t know if he just wanted to talk or if he had something to tell me in person or if he was hurting and needed an ear to sound off to. See, it didn’t matter at the time, I wasn’t thinking of him I was thinking of me. To this day it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. What I wouldn’t do to spend that 30 minutes or an hour with him now.
Do you have any of those moments? Life is full of regrets, some we are ashamed of, others just bring us pain and grief. All of these regrets continually pop up in our thoughts when we least expect them too, we all wish we could change the outcome of them, even for just a moment, but we can’t. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) tells us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” So, I ask you, Have you always done that? I know I haven’t and this brings me some of my greatest regrets. The truth is, If I would look back along the path I have walked throughout this lifetime, I am sure I would find it scattered with regrets and sins. Scars of things that I should have done or not done but for whatever reason they became part of my heavy burden I carried.
The truth is, if we all wore these scars of regret or any other scar caused by sins of the past on the outside instead of the inside we would all be hideous to look at. Jesus did though, He openly and lovingly took all of our regrets and sins upon Himself and carried them to the cross. It says this in Isaiah 53:5 (ESV), “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
Just picture Jesus after being flogged unmercifully until his body was scarlet red from blood. Picture in your mind a crown of long thorny vines woven together and being forced to fit on his head. Picture the long thorns being shoved into his scalp, some scraping his scull as they turned and exited his skin again. Picture Our Lord being forced to pick up His cross and drag it through the streets after being flogged and beaten as crowds of onlookers mocked Him. Picture His bloody and torn body as He was laid on the cross and the spikes were driven through his hands and feet. After all of this picture the cross being stood up and dropped onto the hole they dug for it with a jarring thud as it hit the bottom of the hole. Picture the excruciating look of pain on our Lord and Savior’s face. To me this is all beyond hideous.
Here’s a question for you, do you think anyone in the crowd of people that were screaming for him be crucified had any regrets? Do you think if this was you that was flogged, mocked, and crucified and these people asked you for forgiveness when they discovered the truth that you could grant them that peace? Even after all of this, Jesus ask for them to be forgiven. In His words He spoke from the cross He said this, And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide His garments. Luke 23:34 (ESV)
So, how do we fix these scars, these heavy regrets that we carry? Well, I don’t know the best way to tell you how to relieve your heavy burdens, I can only tell you how I am working through mine. I admit all my regret, all my sins, and I lay them at the foot of the cross. I remember what Jesus said in Luke 9:62 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” So, after I have admitted my wrong doing, all my regrets, and all my sins and ask my Lord to forgive me, I keep my eyes on the prize waiting for me when I finish this life walk on this rock and I don’t look back.
You say, God would never forgive you for your sins and regrets, you have done too many bad things. That’s where you would be wrong. See, in just one verse in the Bible we are told why we are forgiven of our sinful ways. We can find that truth in John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Here’s the truth, If I did look back at the regrets scattered along my path I would see they were all empty shells, All of them forgiven and gone. Not because I deserve them to be, but because I admitted my mistakes and laid them at the feet of my Lord and Savior. If you are carrying and heavy load of regrets and sins afraid that you won’t be forgiven because they are too hideous for forgiveness, stop. Lay them at the feet of our Lord and feel the peace it brings you. We can read this truth in Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) where we are told this, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Know this also, God truly loves each and every one of you and so do I.
