Ah, hindi tayo kakanta dito ng kanta ng Aegis. Hehehe. So kung nandito ka para sa Aegis, pasensya na. Hehehe. Pero since nandito ka na rin lang, ituloy mo na. LOL

Panghihinayang, pagsisi, pagkalungkot: 'yan ang tatlong salita na bumubuo sa kabuuang konsepto sa likod ng salitang "regret". Lahat tayo ay nakaranas na ng regret. Marahil ay nag-regret na tayo dahil sa nasayang na panahon, sa nawalang pagkakataon, sa mga maling desisyon, at sa mga pagmamalaki at pagmamayabang natin sa buhay. Mula sa maliliit na bagay gaya ng binili mong itlog na nabasag bago pa man makarating ng bahay hanggang sa mga kalokohan mong naging daluyan ng malubhang problema at kalungkutan, napakadaming regrets ng tao sa buhay at imposibleng mailista natin silang lahat dito (at hindi ko planong ilista naman talaga lahat dito). Pero ano nga ba ang regret? Kailangan bang mag-regret? Hanggang kailan ka dapat mag-regret? Natural bang mag-regret? Masarap ba ang regret? Ay. Hindi na pala kasama yung huli. Sorry, gutom lang ako. 🤣

Well, natural para sa tao ang mag-regret. At ito ay resulta ng fall ng mankind sa sin. Yes, ang root cause why we are having regrets in this life is sin. We're originally made to be content sa Lord—sa providence Nya, sa will Nya, sa order Nya, sa presence Nya, sa law Nya, sa love Nya, sa character Nya, etc. We're meant to be creatures na responsible in life but dependent sa Lord in every respect. And sin ruined all of that for mankind when Satan successfully tempted Adam and Eve to disobey and dishonor God and His holy word. And since then, we've suffered the effects of sin (which God warned them about) which is death: particularly, spiritual death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Since then, sin has reigned sa lives ng man and it has distorted the totality of man—yung love, pleasure, satisfaction, desire, mind, emotions, passions, joy, aspirations ng man—lahat ay kinonsume ng sin. And because of our depravity, we've lost satisfaction sa kung pano tumatakbo ang buhay according sa providence, guidance, and will ni God. Sin has caused us to be dissatisfied sa life, dissatisfied sa providence ni Lord, dissatisfied sa plan ni Lord for our lives.

Darkness has shrouded the eyes of man and they cannot see God because sin has blinded them (John 3:19-20). At dahil hindi nya makita si God, tumingin sya sa creation: hinanap nya sa creation yung peace, joy, love, meaning, purpose, contentment and worshiped whatever it is that momentarily provided him these things. Instead na i-seek ng man si God for who he is, man searched himself for satisfaction, meaning, and purpose and basked sa fallen glory ng self and obeyed his heart. He has willfully despised the One True and Living God who created him and gave his life a purpose.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Psalm 14:1-3

Only a miracle from God could save man. And that miracle is realized sa person ni Jesus Christ who was the Lamb of God slain from before the foundations of the world (Revelation 13:8) and who was victorious at the cross in redeeming His people from the power of darkness (Hebrews 2:9-15). Scripture tells us that all who repents and believes in Christ and confesses that He is Lord shall be saved (Luke 13:3, Romans 10:9). Note that this is a promise that's double-edged: newness of life under Christ for those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:17), and eternal damnation for those who do not believe in Christ (John 3:36). Wala nang ibang way for our eyes to be opened, for our hearts and minds to be renewed, for us to know the truth, for us to find life and be redeemed and be reconciled to God than through the Lord Jesus Christ. The exclusivity of Christ means there's no salvation apart from Christ, no true peace apart from Jesus.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14

Speaking of newness of life: hindi ibig sabihin nito na kapag nakay Kristo ka na eh magiging suffering-less, pain-less and regret-less na ang buhay. No. In fact, Christ himself tells His followers na we will have trouble in this life (John 16:33). But newness of life means that despite the suffering, despite the pain, despite the regretful events, you know that God is with you. You know that God is sovereign over your situation, and you have confidence that the Lord will fulfill his purposes sa situation mo. It's pretty common to hear from the lips of Christians that God just wants us to be happy and prosperous and healthy. That's just not true. That's a distortion to the word of God. I do not have to explain everything here, but if you wish to learn more about this, watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. It's on Netflix, too, (pero wala pa ata sa Pinas)!

Given the premise above, we now understand why man experiences regret. And as I have said, it's a result of sin. It is actually an act of unbelief sa sovereignty ni God to be exact. It's the result of worldly, ungodly sorrow which Paul was discussing when he addressed the Corinthian church in his second letter.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10

How come? Well, when we regret of something happening in the past, what we're actually doing is we're putting our hope sa sarili nating diskarte and effort, thinking na we could have done better or we could actually change our destiny if we do it better. Hindi natin nilalagay yung mind natin sa sovereign rule ni God who, according to His will and purpose, has allowed that bad history to happen for a greater cause and to reveal His glory. And guess what, we can do nothing more than what the Lord has already willed; and no one can ever resist His will (Isaiah 46:10).

Ilang beses na ba tayong nagkaroon ng "kaya pala" moments in life? Ako, andaming beses na. For instance, I regretted before yung mga pambababae ko in the past after kong makilala si Christ (and I did not just regret, I repented sa kasalanang 'yon). But then I do not think I will love my wife the same way I love her now kung hindi ako pinalo ng Panginoon sa bagay na 'yon at hindi Nya pina-realize sa akin yung foolishness ng kasalanang 'yon. I also regretted before na anak nga ako ng pastor, pero I never really searched for God. In fact, I hated God noon. And I know that kasi I've been serving in the Church, pero each time I'm there, I stand condemned before God because of my hatred for His Word that strikes my heart with truth and my love for sin. But I would never value the grace I have received from God ngayon the way I do kung hindi ko din nakita yung burak kung saan ako pinulot ng Panginoon, kung hindi ko alam kung gaano ako ka-undeserving of His love and mercy.

Do I desire now na sana hindi na lang nangyari yung ugly past ko? No. For I understand now na sa paraang 'yon ko makikita si God; na sa way na 'yon ko Sya talaga makikilala; sa pamamagitan no'n ko Sya mamahalin ng tunay. Should I regret my past anymore now that I know that what the Lord's purpose for such? No. But should I repent of the sins I have done in the past and for the unbelief in my heart? Definitely.

I love what Martin Lloyd-Jones calls this: "vain regretting". There's no point in regretting the ugly past, especially now that I am in Christ. Hindi ko sya dapat i-celebrate either. Bagkus, bilang 'redeemed' ni Kristo, I know that the Lord has willed my past (yes, even yung evil ng past ko) for His purpose and glory, and He is surely faithful to finish the work He has started in me through sanctification (Philippians 1:6). Am I still prone to ungodly sorrow and regret? Yes. As long as I am in this fallen flesh. But may the Lord be merciful to me to remind me of the joy of my salvation when regret and guilt comes to consume me. May His grace uplift my soul the way it did the Apostle Paul.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10

Paul reminds us in Romans 8:1 that there is "now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." As God's people, our past no longer defines us. It's now the blood of Christ and righteous testimony of the Spirit that marks us justified before God. So for us na mga sinave ni Christ, we must not brag of our own righteousness for we actually have none to offer anyone, but we must speak of the love of God for us that He gave His only begotten Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to die on the cross (John 3:16) as substitutionary atonement for our sins. Paul reminds us also in 1 Corinthians 1:31, "let [the one] who boasts boast in the Lord" for (as Jonathan Edwards says) "[we] contribute nothing to [our] salvation except the sin that made it necessary."

Face the future with confidence in God's sovereignty, my fuuurrends.