The Pain of Regret

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” - 2 Corinthians 7:10 
 
There are two pains in life: the pain of self-discipline and the pain of regret. One is a short-term pain that chooses what you want most and sacrifices immediate benefits. The other is a longer-form pain that is the consequence of choosing quick pleasures.

The “pain” of self-discipline is very short-lived. Sure, for a brief moment, you don’t want to eat the salad over the fried chicken wings, but the meal is over in 15 minutes. Sure, you would rather not wake up at 4 a.m. but a couple of hours later you are wide awake and glad you did.
 
On the other hand, the pain of regret is far more severe. It is a pain that is normally much longer lasting. Yet so many of us face it because we choose immediate pleasure – the affairs, the drunken nights, the losing your cool for a just brief moment.  

These things have consequences that can last not just months, but YEARS. There is nothing quite like the pain of regret. Because sadly, most of the time, you can’t fix it. You can apologize. You can feel sorry. But you can’t go back and change what happened.  

You wanted something in a moment that you knew wasn’t good for you, but you chose it anyway. You chose a moment of pleasure for years of consequences. Now that doesn’t sound like a very fair trade to me.  

Listen, my friend, there is very little that can compare to the pain of regret. Maybe you have experienced it before. Maybe you have been thinking about “just going for it.” You think, “You only live once.” But I want to warn you; don’t set yourself up for regret.
 
2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

God has better for you. Don’t choose a moment over a lifetime. Choose God’s way. Even when self-discipline isn’t easy, it always beats the pain of regret.