The end of the year is a great time to reflect on where you are and where you’d like to be in the coming year.
We have a simple challenge you can do right now:
- Post one of the statements below to your social media:
- One thing I regret about 2020 is _______.
- One thing I want to be true of 2021 is _______.
- Then, ask your friends what they regret or hope for.
As your friends comment, look for opportunities to start deeper conversations with them.
Here are some topics that may come up in response to your social media post and some verses to help you respond. Read more on how to use these social media conversation starters.
Common Areas of Regret
Relationships With People
- Lost relationships: Death, break-ups and grudges.
- Lost opportunities: Didn’t find a good relationship, didn’t repair one or didn’t pursue someone.
- Unhealthy relationships: Surrounded myself with the wrong people, worried what people thought of me or had an unhealthy dating/marriage relationship.
Some helpful verses…
- Proverbs 13:20 — “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
- John 15:13 — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
- Hebrews 10:24-25 — “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
- Ephesians 4:2-3 — “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Family
- Lost relationships: Divorce/separation, death, damaged relationships or falling out of touch.
- Hurt relationships: “I’m disappointed with...” or “I disappointed...” a family member, wrongdoing in a relationship.
- Lost time: Missed events, didn’t spend enough time with family or couldn’t start a family.
Some helpful verses...
- Exodus 20:12 — “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
- Proverbs 18:24 — “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
- Psalm 103:17 — “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children.”
- Proverbs 31:10-11 — “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.”
Finances
- Bad financial situation: Spent too much, didn’t save enough, got into debt or didn’t manage finances well.
- Wasn’t generous: Didn’t give/share or didn’t tithe.
Some helpful verses…
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 — “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:12 — “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.”
- Proverbs 13:11 — “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”
- Proverbs 17:16 — “Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it?”
- Exodus 22:25 — “If you lend money to one of My people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.”
Job/Work
- Job instability: Lost a job or laid off, couldn’t find a job, or a business failed.
- Bad work situation: Lack of appreciation, mistrust or “I hate what I do.”
- Work/life balance: Work too much, “I wasn’t a good witness,” “I wasn’t thankful,” or “I had a bad attitude.”
Some helpful verses…
- Proverbs 14:23 — “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
- Colossians 3:23 — “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
- Proverbs 13:4 — “A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 — “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.”
- Philippians 2:14-15 — “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
Relationship With God
- Lack of relationship: Didn’t consider spiritual things or “I lost my faith.”
- Lack of priority: Didn’t go to church enough, didn’t pursue God enough, didn’t read the Bible/pray enough, didn’t tithe, didn’t engage in community or didn’t thank Him enough.
- Missed opportunities: Didn’t share the gospel, didn’t follow God’s calling or didn’t seek forgiveness for sin.
Some helpful verses…
- Jeremiah 29:11 — “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
- John 6:40 — “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
- 1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- Hebrews 11:6 — “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
- John 14:6 — “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
- Acts 3:19 — “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
- Ephesians 6:14-18 — “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Personal Life
- Missed opportunities: Want to travel more, take more risks or do more for others.
- Personal development: Lack of self-confidence, need to overcome fears, need for self-improvement or “I didn’t see my own value.”
- Lack of balance: Want to spend more time on myself, have more fun, not take life so seriously or connect more.
Some helpful verses…
- Romans 15:13 — “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
- Romans 14:17 — “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 — “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:7 — “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.”
Health
- Poor health: Bad health news, time lost to health issues, fear/worry about health or chronic sickness/pain.
- Lack of self-care: Didn’t eat well, didn’t work out, smoked or drank too much, or didn’t go to the doctor
Some helpful verses…
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
- 3 John 1:2 — “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”
- 1 Timothy 4:8 — “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
- Proverbs 17:22 — “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
- Proverbs 20:1 — “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”
- Jeremiah 33:6 — “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”
All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
