Vicki Keiser, Stephen’s Ministry and Church Council

Center yourself on today’s reflection by lighting a candle and reciting this breath prayer:
Inhale – I will call upon God
Exhale – and the Lord will deliver me.

2 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Reflection:
How often we have regrets—I wished I would have done….(or not done)—just fill in the blank. Sometimes those regrets are relatively insignificant—I wish I had read that book or I meant to write the thank you note. I wished I had taken that hike or I should not have eaten that second helping of chocolate cake. But many times regrets can shape who we become—the child estranged from their parents or from their siblings; the mother or father with a broken relationship with their adult children. We regret the words we said or the actions not taken that led to the estrangement. 

Regrets go beyond family relationships; they may involve harsh words among once dear friends or acquaintances.  We sometimes justify our continued broken relationship as not our fault. We regret making bad decisions that led us down unholy paths that ended marriages, friendships or businesses. We grieve the decisions that lead to addictions, dishonesty or even violence. Sometimes the regrets are literally life and death matters and sometimes they are related to just silly human pride gone awry. Unfortunately, we may carry some regrets to our death without choosing to repent from our sins while accepting God’s grace and love.

In Corinthians 7 Paul is reminding the followers about his first letter to them where he pointedly admonished them for unholy behavior. But now this admonishment has resulted in their reflecting on their behavior and truly being sorry for their sins and deeply grieving their thoughts and actions. This deep sorrow and grief leads to their repenting or turning back to God. Paul goes on to share that true repentance will lead to redemption—accepting God’s grace through Jesus’ voluntary sacrifice of his life—the first step of salvation. And that this redemption and first step in salvation will release us from our regrets for eternity because without redemption and salvation we would be painfully mired in “the what might have been” forever!  Thank you, thank you, Jesus.   

Prayer: 
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. Amen (23rd Psalm,The Message)