As a lifelong inept perfectionist, I have a long history of beating myself up over bad decisions and wrong choices. And I have plenty of them to lament.
My key issue regarding my regrets is with God. I know God can forgive anything, given one's desire to fully accept God's mercy, but I cannot forgive myself for some of the things I have done. I know I need to be able to, because if God can then I certainly should be able to, it's just some things in my past give me such shame, particularly those things that have involved hurting others, that I truly find it impossible. So how do I reconcile my inability to forgive myself with God's infinite mercy?
Prayer and reflection. I have spent a lot of time reflecting with God on this, and God has shared with me two things: 1.) I am a good person and am way too hard on myself (which in itself is hard to accept), and 2.) while I do not have to put my stamp of approval on my past, I must accept that through my bad choices, I have learned many important lessons and have become a much better person as a result. While I cannot erase the damage done, I can aid those I have hurt, and vow with my entire being to never repeat the sins of the past.
With this insight, I can be at peace with the past and live a life more closely with God's will for me. And that is overwhelmingly comforting.
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