I have written several times that when the Holy Spirit prompts me to do something I only have two choices – do it or regret it. As a matter of experience, I highly recommend that first option. James put it this way, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (James 4:17) When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He places His Holy Spirit within us to guide us to obediently follow Him.
I have not had the privilege or challenge of raising children, but as hard as it might be to imagine, I was a child myself once upon a very long time ago. When I was told to do something, I was very aware that failing to do it was an act of disobedience toward my parents and that disobedience was just as much a punishable offense as doing something I was told not to do. I never wanted to disobey my parents, but there were times I would put off doing what I was told to do until I found myself in trouble. Procrastination is one of the enemy’s favorite tools to get us to put off what we know we should do until it is too late and that is where the regret comes in. Whenever the Holy Spirit has prompted me to do something, it must be done at a specific time. If that time passes without me doing it, I will not have another chance to obey that command and receive the blessing that obedience would have provided me.
Unlike the line from that old Frank Sinatra song, “Regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention,” I have more regrets than I care to mention. I think most of us do. The ones that bother me most are the things I should have done or said, but missed my opportunity. None of us is guaranteed another day of life. When a loved one dies that loving word or kind deed you intended for them but never delivered is a huge regret. The only regret bigger than that would be to put off accepting Christ as your savior until it is too late. As a result of my regrets, I am obedient to God’s will in my life now more than ever before and I’m much more aware of the opportunities He gives me each day to reach out to others with help, encouragement and love. We can’t go back in time to correct our mistakes, but we can learn from them. The more we obey God and do His will, the fewer regrets we will have and the more blessings we will experience.