Giving Dating Regret to Jesus
Do you regret anything in your dating history?
Chances are, there’s at least one thing you wish you’d done differently—something you would go back and change if you could. Like saying “yes” to somebody when you should have said “no,” or becoming intimate with your boyfriend or girlfriend even though you wanted to wait until marriage.
None of us can go back and change the past, but there is one thing we can do. We can take the heavy burden of regret, sorrow, and shame, and give it to Jesus:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30 NLT)
Every time regret weighs us down, we get to go to Jesus, and He will give us rest. He will heal us and take the burden off our shoulders, restoring us and giving us something good to carry.
Giving the Heavy Things to Jesus
This month at Becoming the One, we’re talking about a culture of service and what this looks like in marriage. Unfortunately, we tend to think that serving others, including God, looks like taking on heavy burdens. We think of serving the Lord as work. “I need to carry this big, heavy thing because this is what being a Christian looks like.”
But according to Jesus, that isn’t what God wants for His kids. He doesn’t load us up with heavy burdens—His burdens are light. When we are carrying what God wants us to carry, we are weightless. There is life, relief, rejoicing, and ongoing rest.
Just as this is true for doing great things in Jesus’ name, it is also true with inner healing and the regret of past relationships. Shame is not a burden God wants us to carry. We get to give it to the Lord and, in its place, He will give us rest.
Letting Go of Relationship Regret
What heavy burden do you need to give to Jesus today?
What regret hurts your heart?
What is weighing you down?
Give that burden to Jesus. Let Him take the heaviness and completely heal you. You don’t need to carry that heavy thing—He has something “weightless” for you.
If you aren’t sure what to say, pray a simple prayer like this: “Jesus, I give You this burden. Please take it from me, and give me Your rest instead.”
Beloved child of God, He has great plans for you and a wonderful future—and these things look like life, hope, and weightlessness. Don’t allow the enemy to load you up with things you were never meant to carry.
Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize! For more about His amazing, unending love, check out Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. The book is also available in Spanish.