We have to learn to commit not only the future but also the past to the Lord. – Daniel Fuller

Okay, I’ll confess…I’m a Clint Eastwood fan. In an interview a few years ago with Esquire with Clint Eastwood and his son, Scott, they both agreed that they never look back on life. When Esquire asked, “Clint, if you were going to look at your life as material, how would you describe the narrative?” the senior Eastwood said, “I don’t look at my life too much. I’m always looking forward, not backward. A lot of times people get to a certain age and they quit.” The younger Eastwood (Scott) agreed, chiming in, “I just do what he does: Keep moving forward. You can’t look back or think about that kind of stuff too much. You just keep making movies…”

Later in the interview, when Scott had left the room, Clint Eastwood offered a different take on not looking back on life. In a moment of utter candor, the elder Eastwood confessed: You always wonder if you could’ve done more. You could’ve spent a little more time with [my son], a little more attention. I had that regret when my dad died. Because it was sudden. I didn’t know; it wasn’t like he had an ailment or something. I used to live close enough to him that I could’ve dropped in a lot more. I never did and I was busy, always busy, doing all the films.

Nearly all of us carry regrets. I know that I do. We carry the memories of unspoken words and missed opportunities. 

It’s no surprise when a recent poll found most Americans are concerned about the road not taken. When it comes to regrets, people are more likely to dwell on things they didn’t do than the things they have done. Among the regrets that people have are the following: Not speaking up (40%). Not visiting family or friends enough (36%). Not pursuing our dreams (35%). The missed chances to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

On the other hand, the top actions Americans regret doing include Spending money or purchasing something they later regret (49%). Fighting with friends or family (43%). Making an unnecessary comment (36%)

There isn’t a more debilitating problem for Christ-followers than the problem of our regrets. We feel guilty about things we’ve done or haven’t done: the past. We have regrets about skeletons in our closets that have fears attached that seem to haunt us or stuff about the past that cripples us.

As a result, we constantly find ourselves drawn back like iron filings are drawn to a magnet. We look back at our past, our history, and there’s regret there, perhaps not to some particular sin, but because there are so many things we could’ve done or could’ve been or could’ve known. We look back thinking: “If only I had done that ten years ago, I would’ve been so much better.” We regret weeks and months and years of what we could or could not have done for Christ or in the Christian kingdom or even in our lives.

As 2025 comes to a close… Do you have regrets? Probably. These words from the pen of the Apostle Paul when I know that I’ve blown it (again) encourage me. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14). 

Because we’re sinners in a sin-contaminated world, we all blow it. Instead of regret, what must encourage us is that as born-again Christians We now know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. For a believer it doesn’t matter what you once were or what you’ve done. It’s a continual theme in Scripture. Everyone from Adam on is a spiritual disaster. And it doesn’t matter when you committed your life to Christ, it only matters that you’re trusting Christ’s cross as the payment for your sins now! What does it matter what the past was as long as your future is certain? So, what matters is that you’re now reconciled with God by His Son who died on the cross for you. What matters is that you’re adopted into His forever family.

Setting aside regrets is realizing that True repentance is vital for a spiritually healthy future. None of us can rewrite yesterday but today is a fresh canvas to paint our lives on. Your child will always be your child…no matter. The relationship is secure. The health of that relationship though is dependent on repentance and problem-solving. 

The same is true in the family of God. Repentance is more than saying you’re sorry for past sin. It’s agreeing with God that your sin was wrong (1 John 1:9) and then moving forward in living a new lifestyle with a new attitude through the power of Christ in you.  

Settle it in your heart that your life is no longer your own. You’ve been bought with a price, the precious blood of Christ (Romans 12:1-2). When we come to Christ, we’re making a sacred covenant exchange. All that you are is surrendered to Him for all that He is. You’re a new creation in Him. His Spirit empowers you to repent and turn from sin and live a life of righteousness that you could never live on your own. That’s wonderful news for today and tomorrow.

Being free of regret means Believing that the grace of God is all that matters.As we read God’s Word, we realize that regrets are useless. Nothing matters in the kingdom of God except the grace of God. God has a different way of looking and dealing with individuals than you or I have. God deals with us not as we deserve but by His grace. What matters is not what we may have been or what we might have achieved or might have done. We live now under His grace. What we have is from His hand, and it’s enough and it’s abundant.

Too many of us let our regrets become our “home.” Many stay too long in pain, living with tired dreams, a haunting past or sour anger. As forgiven people of faith, we must have the courage to let go of “what might have been” so we passionately pursue what is yet to be. Holding on to regret is like always having a rock in your shoe. As long as you have a rock in your shoe, you’ll limp through life. Take that rock out and leave it at the cross.

The best way to deal with regrets is to move on from the past, focusing on today – to appreciate memories, sacred moments, to live with purpose and intention, never letting regrets determine our identity or our destiny. God’s Word teaches us that no matter the situation, no matter the darkness of the hour, we must by His grace always move forward.  

When we confess our sins, God always forgives. Life is too short, time too precious, and the stakes too high to live in regret. The beauty of life with Christ is that while we can’t undo what’s been done, we can see it, seek to learn from it, understand and change it as much as possible, so that our life is not wasted in anger, guilt or regret but instead invested in God’s grace, wisdom, love and peace! So, run to Jesus and kiss regret good-bye!