This post is meant to offer guidance to common “what now” questions that could emerge from Pastor J.D.’s sermon “Joel,” preached at The Summit Church Saturday-Sunday May 13-14, 2017.

This post is written for the individual we can relate to Joel 2:25, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you,” because they are in the midst of a season of regret when it feels like what has been destroyed will not be restored.

Dealing With Regret from Equip on Vimeo.

Presentation Handout: EQUIP_Dealing with Regret_Notes

Regret always begins as an opportunity; hence the disappointment. There was something we wanted to be an enduring part of our life that disappeared, was forfeited, or was lost. Regret is never just a moment, but a painful and pivotal change in our life story.

When we neglect mourning the hope that birthed our regret or focus exclusively on the moment in which regret began there are two negative consequences: (a) whatever guidance we receive feels light-weight and cliché, and (b) we miss most of what God has been, is, and wants to do.

In this presentation I walk through the life of Moses in light of his most regrettable moment (Numbers 20:1-13) to illustrate how God’s works redemptively in the midst of the things we regret most deeply.

If this post was beneficial for you, then consider reading other blogs from my “Favorite Posts on Emotions” which address other facets of this subject.