An Australian palliative care nurse released an inspirational video citing from her experience, the Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Here they are:
1. Not being myself and not pursuing my dreams.
2. Having spent too much time at work, at the expense of those I loved.
3. Not having the courage to express my feelings.
4. Losing touch with my friends because I was so caught up in my own life.
5. I wish I would have allowed myself to be happier.
As I look back on my life, I associate with three of these. How about you?
Another short video shows a blackboard placed on a city’s sidewalk, inviting people to “Write their biggest regret.” Freely, people from all walks of life picked up a piece of chalk and wrote their biggest regrets: not spending enough time with family, working too hard, not pursuing their dreams. In fact, the word “not” was a consistent theme. Though we may regret things we did do, and wished we hadn’t, it seems most of our regrets stem from things we didn’t do.
Then again, sometimes our regrets (or disappointments as a friend points out) are not from what we do or don’t do, but what happens to us: ruined health and finances, the destructive choices of others, and so many other negative influences in our lives. How do we escape regret? We must pursue new dreams within the parameters of our limiting condition. If I can’t run a marathon, where can I travel in my mind? If I can’t climb the tallest mountain, whose hand could I hold as they climb their own mountain of despair? If I can’t row across the Pacific, what relationship bridges can I build to traverse large distances? Sponsor a child across the globe, or befriend a lonely person across the street. The list of choices to avoid regret are endless.
Personally, I don’t spend much time living in the land of regrets, but it’s important to visit there if it wakes us up in the land of the living. The point of course, is to change our ways, repent, turn away from things we will regret and live the life of legacy we really desire. Repentance really is the key to handling regret, isn’t it? Otherwise, if there’s no turning away from it, we remain in the land of regrets. What a sad place to be.
I think the ultimate regrets of all would be:
- To not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
- To live a miserable, joyless, and powerless life when the resurrection power of Jesus is freely offered to us.
- To have been so caught up in our own lives that we neglect encouraging, helping, and celebrating with others.
- To have wasted our lives in meaningless pursuits.
What do you think?
The good news is that whatever regrets you may have now, they don’t have to determine your future legacy. Today is a clean slate!
DO the things you’d regret NOT doing!
Links to videos:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=R45HcYA8uRA%3Frel%3D0%26utm_source%3Demail%2Bmarketing%2BMailigen%26utm_campaign%3Ddaily-newsletter%26utm_medium%3Demail