One of my goals here with LikeTreesPlanted is to equip Christians with practical tools you can use and helpful actions you can take in your life of following Jesus. With that in mind, today’s devotional quote comes from St. Chysostom, who said,

“It is a shame to commit sin, but never to confess it.”

As we approach the holidays and the end of the year, this is a great moment to do what we can to try to make things right with anyone we may have hurt or annoyed or frustrated in some way this year. I want to encourage you to leave your relational regrets here in 2024.

While deployed with the Army, Commanders have a “Property Book” of equipment and assets they are responsible for while in command. They are accountable for everything on their Property Book until their replacement unit arrives and they sign their Property Book over to the next incoming Commander.

I want to encourage you clear your relational Property Book before you reach the end of the year. I don’t want you to take anything with you that needs to be left in the past! Returning home from deployment, I reminded my Soldiers that they each only get to bring two pieces of luggage with them for our flights home – so don’t bring any regrets with you! There’s no room for any extra relational and emotional baggage in your future life beyond this year.

I don’t have any tattoos, but if I ever got one, I thought it would be funny to get one that says, “NO REGERTS.” :-)

If you need to apologize to somebody for something, or even just clear up some confusion or a misunderstanding you had with someone, then swallow your pride, be willing to take the initiative and make the first move, and do what you can to make things right.

Your future self will thank you for dealing with it now and not dragging that relational or emotional baggage with you into next year.

Law professor Bryan Stevenson has said,

“Each person is more than the worst things they’ve ever done. We are not our worst acts.”

And a Christian friend of mine (whose name is actually Christian!) once said,

“We are loved by an infinite God who has way more forgiveness than we have sin.”

If you need help figuring out how to do this with a particular person, situation, or issue in your life, please reach out to me or to another pastor or counselor. We would be honored to help you walk through the process of leaving this year behind with no regerts :-)