Theologically speaking, repentance was understood as a mental shift where the way someone thinks about something takes a drastic turn. And this does not just remain a cognitive disposition. To think differently–in a thorough way that affects a worldview–means that the habits and the heart-follow coincide. After all, we cannot change our own hearts, but we can change our minds and then God has permission to change our hearts. Far from being an anecdote to the discussion, repentance, properly understood, provides the way out of regret!

Over the past few weeks during our Sunday gatherings, we have leaned into a few parts of Moses’ life. The more familiar you are with his life, the more you realize that he was far from perfect and led a people (the Israelites) who seemed to get it wrong more often than getting it right. Sometimes the people in Scripture become the example of what not to do (and sometimes we are that way too!). But there are lessons to be learned here. For Moses, regret–whether personal or while standing in solidarity with his people–never had the final word. This is worth repeating: We don’t have to live in regret because regret does not get the final word–God’s redemption does.