28. March 2026

Refuse To Die There

Introduction

Trials have a way of confronting us when we feel least prepared.

They do not always arrive loudly.
Sometimes, they come quietly: through reflection, memory, or the weight of what could have been.

In those moments, we can find ourselves standing face to face with regret…
replaying decisions, revisiting failures, and carrying burdens we were never meant to hold forever.

Yet even here, especially here, God calls us forward.

Not to remain…
but to rise.

Scripture

Isaiah 43:2 (WEB)
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
When you pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned,
and flame will not scorch you.

Poem — Refuse to Die There

Regret has a way of arriving when you least expect it.
It muscles in
Like a Maasai warrior
Uninvited,
Flaunting itself.

It stands before you,
Demanding attention,
Rehearsing your failures:
What you could have done.
How you should have done it better.

A gladiator
Dragging remorse behind him.

But
You must not make a home there.

Do not wallow in pig swill.
Do not let shame
Strike the final blow.

Refuse to die where you lie.
Repent.
Look up.
Move.

Reflection

Regret is a persistent visitor.

It does not knock politely, it presses in,
rehearsing moments we wish we could rewrite,
whispering that we have gone too far, missed too much, or failed too greatly.

But regret was never meant to be a dwelling place.

Conviction may come…
but condemnation is not its companion.

God does not call us to remain in the place of our worst moment.
He calls us through it.

There is a holy turning point in this journey
a moment where we choose not to sit in shame,
but to respond.

Repentance is not punishment.
It is release.

To repent is to turn
to lift our eyes from the ground,
to loosen the grip of regret,
and to step forward again under the mercy of God.

You may have fallen there.
You may have wept there.
You may have lingered longer than you intended…

But you are not called to die there.

In Christ, there is always a way forward.

Prayer

Dear Father,

In the places where regret has taken hold,
and shame has tried to settle,
help us to remember that You call us forward.

Give us the courage to repent
to turn from what weighs us down
and to lift our eyes toward You once again.

Break the hold of condemnation,
and remind us of Your mercy,
Your grace,
and Your invitation to begin again.

Strengthen us in our trials,
and lead us onward, step by step.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

Selah — Pause & Consider

Is there a place in your life where regret has tried to settle?
What might it look like for you to “refuse to stay there”?
Can you take one step today — to repent, look up, and move forward?

Next Week

Even in the midst of trials,
there is a joy that cannot be shaken.

Next week, we turn toward Joy & Praise
a reflection on finding light, even after the climb.

The Seasons of Life is now available: a collection of poems, Scripture, and reflections for every season of the soul.
Read more or order here: https://amzn.eu/d/096YySVk