Regrets?

Today while I was furiously stocking the shelves of GFS, I asked myself if I would live my life over. (Yes, when you do mundane tasks you must ask yourself deep questions to keep yourself efficient). Naturally, I took the time to take a brief examination of my life. How was my life? Was I happy? Was I successful? What is success? Did I have any regrets? Ah, that one got me. (Not that the others one didn't, but that one was particularly troubling). Of course, my answer was a strong YES! Very quickly, various thoughts flashed through my head of moments I regretted (and oh, how I regretted them), but then another thought came, what if...my life is a compilation of all of my decisions, even my bad ones. I can't help but wonder if this is a glimpse into grace. Here I am thinking of the moments in my life I'd love to take back, but worrying that if I did if I would never have met some of the poeple in my life! What if God allowed me to make a bad decision to bring about healing? What if God allowed me to go through some pain so I could walk through the doors of Stratford Heights. What would my life be like without Stratford Heights?! What if I never met my incredible Pastor who brought such healing to my life? What if I never met my amazing Sunday school teacher who makes me laugh AND makes me think? What if I was not Marving & Betty Ray's daughter or Breanna Ray's sister? What if Naomi Ray was not my grandmother or Rachel Rutherford was not my healthy buddy? What if some of my bad choices indirectly affected how I've come to know and love these people? For instance, I made a bad choice by quitting GFS. Because of that, I had to pick up more hours at Kidd Coffee. Coincidentally, I ended up becoming friends with a great encouragement to me, Rachel! My point is that grace is a lot like my relationship with regrets. As much as we hate regrets, to relive our lives would mean we may not relive them in a way that we would meet the wonderful people we currently know. I don't know about you, but I am in a place where I could not live without the people that are in my life. My church family IS my family. I love them more than words will ever describe! But this is grace! God takes the worst, most painful parts of our past and brings the most beautiful things to pass. The MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO PASS. Take it from someone who is on the other side of depression, God is so good, and life is so beautiful. God's grace is sufficient for your regrets. By the way, I'm writing a book. Opinion needed: fiction or nonfiction? Peace & Blessings Free yourself from regrets. Live in the love of Christ!