No Regrets

Have you ever experienced buyer’s remorse? It’s like when a rainy day need surfaces, but you already spent the rainy day fund on something unnecessary! It’s like spending a little extra on that delicious looking cake only for it to be the worst thing you’ve ever bit into. Or splurging on that high fashion outfit only for it to be ill-fitting and non-refundable. Regrets are real. They happen to many of us every day. Most recently, I experienced this with a surprising and partially unnecessary haul during an online shopping excursion. 

While one or two of the items were essential, a few others were a result of sales pressure. BOGO, Buy 2 get 1 free, Must haves of the season, etc. Regardless, I was really excited about my new items. Until I got them. The shoes didn’t fit quite right and a few of the sweaters had a different look and feel in my hands compared to how they appeared on screen. Needless to say, I felt remorse. I was either going to have to deal with the return process for some of these items or was going to need to find someone to donate them to. That’s not an uncommon experience with online shopping. Either you strike gold or, in other cases, you get what you pay for. 

That experience prompted me to think how blessed we are to be recipients of a redemption that comes with no strings. I don’t have to be worried about sizing, holding on to a receipt, or trying to return anything within a certain window. The salvation Jesus paid for on our behalf is a true one size fits all. Better still, it doesn’t come with regret. That’s what really highlights the love that God has for us. As I mentioned, sometimes we make purchases that we regret. Even things we don’t see right away, like online shopping. Once it’s in our possession, the regrets begin to pile up if it’s not what we anticipated. I find it so freeing to be able to know that this is not how Jesus sees the price that he paid for me.

Being able to take a moment and reflect on the love that God has for me (and you!) has become so instrumental in how I see me. I’ve come to learn the value of true love. Accepting and embracing that type  of love paints a picture of what love is not. When you journey down that road, your vision becomes a little less cloudy in terms of how you love yourself. That is where I had to begin my journey. Love what God loves. If God loves me, then I needed to have a heart-to-heart with myself and figure out what was preventing me from doing the same. One thing to remember is that the journey to loving ourselves is not prideful. It’s not about boasting in ourselves or promoting our own self-importance or self-righteousness. It’s simply about loving what God loves. 

If you find that the struggle to do so is difficult, you are not alone. I can’t even say that the ability to do so will happen overnight. That’s not my experience. What I can say, is that you will learn to lean on Jesus more than you ever did before. We can’t embark on that self-discovery without the help of Jesus anyway. Not if that is the relationship that is at the center of this journey. So keep in mind that our redemption and our reconciliation to God is not a gift that Jesus regrets purchasing with a higher price than we could ever name. Although there are many who may not accept it or even value it, that still doesn’t change the pricing having been paid in full already. No regrets.

Stay Sunny!

Suggested Readings: