Spring is known as the time to clean your home, go through your closets, and get rid of unnecessary items. Likewise, it is a good time to explore our souls and get rid of unnecessary things that we carry around inside us every year.
One of the burdens that many of us carry is regret. the study We show that regret is the most common negative emotion experienced by humans.
at the national investigation When asked what the typical American regrets about their experiences, researchers found 13 common sources of regret, with love coming first, followed by family, education, career, finances, parenting, health, other people, friends, spirituality, community, leisure time, and themselves.
It’s easier to put aside some regrets and move on, like thinking you shouldn’t have worn this dress or these shoes today. Or why did you eat all the cookies?
Other regrets, those that seem more life-altering, are much more difficult for individuals to come to terms with later in life. Because hindsight is like 20/20, we often see situations more clearly in retrospect than when we actually experienced them. It is the type of vision that often leads to feelings of deep regret.
Photo credit: © Getty Images/hironosov
How to start cleaning
Sadly, regret teases us relentlessly with “what if” and “what if” thoughts. It prompts us to mentally relive or repeat the times we missed out or failed.
Unfortunately, this constant onslaught of regret can take a toll on our lives. the study It shows that if you don’t come to terms with past regrets, they can affect how you deal with current stresses and situations.
Still, there is hope. Regret tells us we have lost, but God’s Word tells us: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through God who loved us.” (Romans 8:37).
So how can we overcome the “what ifs” in life? How can we find peace and contentment with how our lives have unfolded? Here are seven ways to get started.
Photo credit: Getty Images
1. Remember God’s grace and mercy
qualified therapist Gretchen J. Penner ASW, who specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and depression, is a strong believer in self-compassion, stating, “To let go of regret, we must treat ourselves with the same compassion and love that Christ has given us.”
Penner explains that self-compassion is about accepting our imperfect humanity and recognizing that: Romans 3:23 It says that we all fall short of the glory of God. “If we were perfect and never made mistakes, we wouldn’t need the cross or Christ or his love and mercy,” she explains.
as psalm 23 Penner shows us how God’s grace and mercy continue throughout our lives. Penner explains, “Self-compassion means accepting God’s love and mercy.”
She shows us what this is like. It is a long cloak or a train tied around our waists that follows us and wipes away our mistakes. When we look back to see our footprints and the mistakes we have made, we cannot see them because God’s grace and mercy have covered them and erased them.
Photo credit: Getty Images
2. Confess unbelief
Romans 8:28 says to us. “And we know that in all things God works for good to those who love him, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
Because God guarantees our ability to work things out on our behalf, regret is often caused by unbelief, a lack of trust that God will actually do what He says He will do in all things in our lives.
Instead, we often repeatedly choose to believe the plea of regret: “Couldn’t my life have been better?” It made us believe that we had failed and failed, and that things would have turned out differently because of what we did or didn’t do.
So what can we do about this kind of unbelief? We can confess it and ask God to help us overcome unbelief (Mark 9:24). 1 John 1:9 explain“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We can choose to trust God to work through everything in our lives, including our regrets, for good, even when it seems impossible to us. We can choose to believe what Jesus told us: All things are possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23).
Photo credit: Getty Images
3. Let go of regrets
Matthew 6:34 urge, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry you. Each day has enough trouble in itself.”
film What about Bob? Starring Bill Murray, the film tells the story of a man paralyzed by fear and phobia who decides to take a vacation from his problems. Feeling burdened by the problem, he begins by taking “baby steps”. This is a technique his therapist recommends to him.
When Bob follows his therapist’s advice, his problems quickly disappear because instead of dwelling on his fears and anxieties, he focuses on facing them and living life to the fullest.
God is inviting us to do something even better than taking “baby steps.” “Cast all your worries on God, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).
God invites us to offer all our regrets to Him, to be freed from burdens and burdens, and to allow Him to carry them. like Psalm 55:22 Encouragement, “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never disturb the righteous.”
Photo credit: Pixabay
4. Receive God’s peace
Regret keeps peace away. The exact opposite of what God wants for our lives. Jesus tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled; for in God you believe; believe in Me” (John 14:1).
One way to obtain God’s peace is to heed God’s words instead of regretting them. Instead of replaying regrets in our minds, we can focus on what God has given us. The Bible reassures us that God’s peace is available to us if we are willing to receive it.
“You will keep the hard of heart in perfect peace, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3). “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for as members of one body you are called to peace, and give thanks” (Colossians 3:15) Peace I leave you with. I give you my peace. I will not give to you as the world gives. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) In this world, you will experience hardship. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Photo credit: Getty Images/marydan1512
5. Reach out beyond regret when possible.
For areas where you are plagued by regrets, it’s okay to reach out where there may be an opportunity to correct your mistakes. These include apologizing to those we have hurt and forgiving those who have hurt us.
When we break promises to others or fail to fulfill them, we can ask if we can make up for it.
God has also given us the ministry of reconciliation, because He does not impute our sins to us, but seeks to reconcile the world to Himself through Christ.2 Corinthians 5:19).
Through God, we can reach beyond regret if we have the ability, opportunity, and power to do so. But we also need to recognize that we can trust and believe that God will make things right in our lives and in the lives of others, even when that is not an option.
Photo credit: Getty Images
6. Learn from past regrets
Can anything good come from regret? Is it possible to learn from it?
In his discussion of self-compassion, Penner explains how taking a compassionate view of the reasons for the mistakes we make can help us, saying, “Sometimes we need to ask ourselves, ‘Did I do the best I could with the information I had at that moment?'”
“It’s easy to look back and judge our decisions on information we didn’t have at the time. All we can do is do the best we can with the information we have in the moment,” she reassures.
like 2 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us, “But we put this treasure in a clay jar to show that this overwhelming power does not come from us, but from God.”
From now on, we will no longer have to rely on ourselves or our knowledge to make decisions. We can rely on God’s power to help us and work through us.
Photo credit: Getty Images
7. Move forward with confidence
The amazing story of Joseph in the Bible shows us how we can move forward in life with confidence instead of dwelling on regrets.
There is no record in the Bible of Joseph dealing with regret, even though there was plenty of room and opportunity for him to experience it. He may have wished he hadn’t told his brothers about his dreams or worn such a fancy coat. His actions may have weighed heavily on him for the rest of his life and may have caused him to ask himself, “What if I hadn’t done these things? Maybe my brothers wouldn’t have sold me into slavery?”
However, several years later he summarized his views on his brothers’ behavior towards him. “You intended to harm me, but God intended for good what is being done, which is to save many lives.” (Genesis 50:20).
Like Joseph, we can trust that God has good intentions for our lives. We can also choose to trust God to help us remove our regrets and give us a new perspective that He is working all things together for our good.
Photo credit: Getty Images
First edition published on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
