Change…and No Regret
At our first small group meeting of the new year this past Wednesday night, we reflected on the year behind us and talked about how much our choices in the year ahead will determine how the year turns out. We also agreed that there will be many things that we don't have choices about--things that happen to us, beyond our control. In that light, it will come down to the choices we make about how we will respond to those things that happen to us. All in all, our lives in 2023 will largely come down to our choices of what to do, with what is done to us.
But there are other choices we will make, before the fact, in things that we do have control over. Decisions of our will involving our habits, our relationships and our personal disciplines. As much as we often want to excuse our behavior, or blame others for what happens to us, much of the success or failure of our lives will be determined by the choices we make.
That includes decisions and habits involving our spiritual lives, our health, our finances, the use of our time, our personal and professional development, and so many other areas. We are not talking about "resolutions" for the new year, we are talking about daily decisions about who and what we want our lives to be.
I'm sure you have heard of the idea of "reverse engineering." It's a process that starts with the end, and works its way backwards. It might mean taking a product or machine apart, and seeing what makes it work. Or it could be starting with what you hope the end result will be, and then determining what it will take to get there. That's what we want to do in our lives as we face the new year.
So, we ask ourselves: Who do I want to be and what do I want to accomplish in the year ahead, and therefore, what necessary thing must I start doing today — and every day — if I feel like it or not, to get there? Said another way, if we were having this conversation at the end of 2023, what changes would you like to look back and see in your life? And what steps will it take to get you there?
Most of us have a difficult time with that process. We have goals, or resolutions, but we don't know how to get there from here. Or, we find that the inertia of our lives makes changing our habits just too difficult to put out the effort, So we live wondering what might have been, never becoming who we want to be.
Jim Rohn was an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker who passed away a little more than a decade ago. One of my favorite quotes of his was this: "We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces — regret weighs tons."
That quote resonates with most of us because many of our regrets stem from lack of discipline: If only I had been more diligent. If only I had been more consistent. If only I had been more persistent. If only I had been more determined. And on and on. Regret weighs tons, but we don't have to continue to bear the burden of regret longer than necessary. In fact, as Rohn states, there's a simple way to get out from under it. Choose discipline.
This applies to so many of the areas mentioned above, but specifically I would address our spiritual walks. Some who read this have been on the fence for long enough, living lukewarm spiritual lives of regret. It's time to get serious about your faith and follow Jesus like you've always said you wanted to. That will require effort, good habits, self-discipline.
The apostle Paul said it this way in 1 Timothy 4:7: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." The NIV translates that verse, "Train yourself to be godly." Training and discipline are simply choices that we make that lead to habits that take us from where we are to where God wants us to be.
I pray that you won't live your life in 2023 with regret, but with choices that lead you to live out God's will for your life. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us as we choose to follow Him.
--Pastor Ken
