Have you ever seen the movie We’re The Millers?

It’s not the most appropriate movie to watch but as an adult, I can say it was entertaining and had quite a few comical moments. There was one specific scene that I vividly remember; it’s the one with the carnival worker. If you’ve seen the movie, you probably already know where I’m going with this. He had this tattoo plastered across his chest just under his neckline that said “NO RAGRETS”. The main character took one look at the tattoo and immediately noticed the misspelling. He proceeded to ask “you don’t have any regrets, not just one?”

What made this so funny was we all knew the word regret was misspelled and he certainly should have some regret for making this mistake. However, the more I thought about it, whether he was naïve or not, he was comfortable with his choice and did not see a need to dwell on the past. Now we all know why the movie portrayed it the way they did, but it brings up a good point about having or feeling regret.

I personally have felt regret and dwelled on past circumstances that transpired, which ate away at my fabric and caused anxiety, anger, and remorse. The more and more I regretted my decisions, the more I replayed the events in my mind wishing for a different outcome. Then, something clicked, through my faith and reading scripture I learned more and more about how God uses our mistakes and transforms them into something good.

You see, God is always working on us and using our experiences here on earth to prepare us for what is to come when we leave our earthly bodies and ascend into Heaven. Mistakes are a part of this life and each one we make catapults and transforms us to be a better version of ourselves. Better yet, they lead us down a new, less destructive, and more enlightening path than the current, but only if we invite God in to forgive us and we forgive ourselves.

Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” When you invite God in, he will take all that is bad and turn it to good just like it states in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

When I decided to write on this topic, there is one specific event that comes to mind; it consumed me for the longest time where I wished and prayed for a do-over. The regret was overwhelming; there was so much anxiety that it made it hard to trust God, not knowing when I was going to escape the uncertainty of the impact this was going to have on my job, finances, and most importantly family. But when I finally trusted, repented, and gave it all to God, my regret began to wash away. I was able to share my story and help others, my health improved, and to this day I cannot help but appreciate how those events shoved me into the light and transformed me in such a positive way where I have “NO RAGRETS.”

– James Oliver