Dealing with the Past in the Present, Regret

Yes, I have written about this very topic before. Twice in fact. Once in 2012 and once in 2013. It is a topic that just cannot get enough discussion.

This time it’s about regret. I know people that regret their sexual past. They regret having sex before they were married. I know people that regret their lack of sexual past. They regret that they didn’t have more sex before they married. I think the former is a valid regret but not so much the latter. I think what usually drives the latter is an unfulfilling post-wedding sex life.

The thing that can happen with the former, regretting having premarital sex, it can lead to another type of regret. I know older couples, I fit that category at this point, that regret they didn’t figure out God’s plan for sexual fulfillment earlier in their marriage. They regret the sex they didn’t have when they were younger because of the baggage of regrets they carried into their marriage. What they realize at this point in their lives is that their regrets for their past sin have lead to another type of regret, the regret of an opportunity lost.

Here is the the thing about regret: you cannot change the past. All you have is the now.

While you might regret those bad things you did the regret you feel for lost opportunity can feel even worse particularly when you know the truth about God’s plan for sex.

Let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with experiencing repentant regret about sin. What is wrong is allowing that regret control your present. Don’t exchange one regret for another.