Regret—a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

The word regret appears roughly 28 times in the Bible.

I regret to inform you that this word may tug at your heartstrings. It has the power to stir deep thought and, at times, even anguish.

Do we cause our own pain? Do we dismiss our actions because we don’t want to pay the price or face possible failure? Or do we justify our choices by saying we’re “only human” and that the temptation was simply too great?

If I asked you to share the greatest regret of your life, what would it be? Education? Relationships? Life choices? I believe we all carry regret to some degree.

Here’s my challenge to you—take out a piece of paper and write these words:

I regret…

Then finish the sentence.

Here is mine:

I regret that I didn’t face it sooner.

I regret that I wasted time… wasted love… wasted opportunities to truly know my Creator. I regret the years I could have spent growing in knowledge of Him.

But once I faced my regret, the question became—what can I do to change the outcome of a regretful heart?

I could say, “I don’t need to do much; the Holy Spirit has touched my soul, and that is enough.” But something inside shifted. My regret turned into desire—desire to know my Creator more deeply.

And desire requires action. I must invest my time. I must invest my love. As I study Him, my knowledge will grow. And as knowledge grows, regret fades.

If we can clear our hearts of regret, even little by little each day, our lives will become richer. My only regret now is that I didn’t recognize it sooner. But I am profoundly grateful to Him for capturing my heart—and for giving me the time to turn that regret into a love I can’t fully comprehend, yet know will never let me go.

Now I’m on a quest. Every day is an opportunity to grow away from regret and into a beautiful relationship, not just with my Creator, but also with myself.

Getting to know yourself can be both daunting and beautiful. You may just discover that you are a beautiful soul, because God made you that way.

So look at your regret not as an ending, but as an invitation to grow into everything He already knows you can be.

I am blessed to grow in Him, in His Word, and in His unending love.

It’s Him. It’s always Him.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Act 20:24

Photography & Written by Lori Garner 

Model: Robyn Z

Bible Verses from KJV, ESV / Sinner's Prayer

Inspiring music from YouTube 

Tenth Avenue North - Greater Than All My Regrets (Lyrics)