We all tend to carry with us some pain or another from our past: things we wish we had done differently . . . things we regret saying . . . pain we have caused others, or things that were inflicted on us.
How natural it is to hold the weight of past regrets, wanting but not always able to let them go.
While we can’t go back and change the past, we can change the future by learning to deal with regret in healthy ways. Our mission as people of faith calls us to do the difficult job of using past experiences to help us grow, rather than allowing them to bring us down.
God draws us closer through the experiences of our lives. We call on our faith in Him and St. Jude to give us what we need to transform regrets into opportunities for growth. Hope is at the center of this as we become future-focused rather than past-focused. Faith and devotion allow us to hope in goodness for that future—which is ultimately a spiritual journey to God.
Letting go of regret also requires accepting the things we cannot change. True hope is found in actively pursuing acceptance. Negative thoughts recede as we consciously turn our minds elsewhere. This is hard work, and it means we need to be aware of our thoughts. But this is the mental, emotional, and spiritual work that is an important part of a life dedicated to God. And it’s very much a two-way street! We believe He will get us where we want to be despite our regrets and come to better relationships with ourselves, others, and Him—and along with that, abundant joy, gratitude, hope, and peace.
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