Regrets

"Impulsive Leaps often end in Painful Landings."

I was pleased to see that our health coaches are requesting photos of our old selves. Also, our lists of "would've-should've-could've's." For some of us, this list may take up the entire room (half of it would be mine). The email sent out prompted my spirit to write about the topic of regret.

Regret could be an old friend of ours, or a current one that we try to snuff out every now and then. But he still comes back. I believe the only way to abolish regrets is to focus on what we did RIGHT and not WRONG. I would like to NEVER have regrets, but then what would propel me to my goals? Certainly if I had no negative issues, and life was all "peaches and cream" (yum), then what in the world would I ever change???? NOTHING!

Speaking of regrets, I do, however, regret the six chocolates and two slices of pizza that I ate yesterday. When I tell you that I am sick today, I am not kidding. My stomach is in knots..but junk in equals junk out!!! So I won't bore you with the consequences of my behavior. BUT the "regret" of eating wrong motivated me this morning to "do right." I downed a glass of the green stuff (I actually like it), and I have set the day in motion towards healing.

"Well, sister, you should have never eaten wrong in the first place, then you would not have had any regrets." This is true. But for all of us, ERROR is part of our HUMAN DNA. It may not be in eating, but it sure is somewhere in our lives.

For some people, they can make a decision, stick it out, and get the desired results that propelled them in the first place. For others, like myself, it will be like trying to lasso a wild bull headed straight for the matador's red cape. Listen, old habits never die hard. But I refuse to focus on my mistakes that do not come as often as they used to. I hope you won't stay in that place either. And by the way, that dumb bull is colorblind.

Did you know God had regrets??????

"Sister!!! SHUSH YO MOUTH!!!!! God NEVER HAD REGRETS!!!!!" Well, before you stone me to death, let me point out the scripture in Genesis 6:6.

"And the Lord was sorry that He ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke His heart." (NLT)

"The Lord was sorry He had made humans on the earth, and He was heartbroken." (GWT)

"The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain." (NIV)

The words "sorry and grieved" derive from the word "nacham" in Hebrew. Strong's Hebrew dictionary gives a ton of translations for this word. Here they are: changed mind, to be sorry, console oneself, relent, repented, and regret. God regretted the sins and wickedness that he saw his children committing. He was full of pain, as any tender Father would be at the foolishness of his children. (Amos 2:13, Isaiah 43:24, Eze. 6:9, and Psalm 95:10 all describe how the Lord feels about our sins.) The actions of His creation was His pain, not the creation of His children.

How do we see ourselves? Do we weigh ourselves soley based on our actions and find NO worth in who we are as creatures of the Most High God? I could have easily thrown in the towel for my actions yesterday, and ate the other 9,000 pieces of chocolate in the kitchen. But I refused. I got up, took a shower, and got dressed all pretty. I threw all the chocolate out (GASP!), drank the pond water, and said, "Lord, it's a new day. I start all over again. But I am not gonna fall into self-accusation voices and be depressed today. No way. Did that way too many years. It's onward Christian soldier! I pick up my (big) butt today and carry on in the NAME OF JESUS!!!"

Although God destroyed the human race, Noah found grace in God's eyes. Wow. God did not give up on us. He could have. But one man moved God's heart and the Lord continued to populate the earth, despite the great wickedness of mankind. Then He did not stop there. He kept his promise to never flood the earth again, but His wrath against the evil had to be satisfied. Like the relentless lover that God is, He sent His own son, HIS VERY OWN SON, to satisfy His wrath and to bring all of us into His redemptive grace.

Sisters, I say all that to say this. Our worth can never be founded on what we did or didn't do. Our worth is founded on what Christ did for us. Not on the scale, what people say, our successes, our failures...never that. My prayer for us is to keep on moving on in health and wellness, taking one day at a time, and resting in the unfathomable, uncontainable, unshakeable, immeasurable love of Jesus Christ today. I encourage you, while I certainly speak to my own broken soul, let's take the focus off of ourselves (that is from the devil) and let's put it where it belongs: upon Jesus.

Love you all.

XtremeFaith