Reframing Regret: From Hindsight to Insight
Vocare Spiritual Practice
Vocare
Vocare is an ongoing spiritual practice designed to help you discern and embrace your multiple vocations so that you can more intentionally live life on purpose. Vocare invites regular reflection upon values, openness, call, attentiveness, regret, and the experience of God’s presence.
Focus
You are invited to focus on your personal regrets by both naming and reframing them, and my so doing, nourish in a particular way God’s call for both your present and your future. Use the time between the guided questions for your own reflection and meditation. Bring to mind a circumstance or experience of regret from your own life. Is this a regret that still has you dwelling in hindsight, or is it a regret from which you now have gained insight? How has this regret shaped your life and its horizons?
Guided Reflection
Opening Prayer
Help me, O God, to give my regrets to you and to go forward today, confident in your mercy. In the name of +Jesus, Amen.
- What life values are present for you in this regret? Are they your most important values?
- How does this regret invite or compel you to be open? How easy is it for you to be open to this?
- What voices are calling to you through this regret? Are these voices that you want or need to listen to? Why or why not?
- As you consider this regret, what holds your attention? Is this where you want or need your attention to be?
- What insights does this regret bring to mind for you? What do you do with these insights?
- Where and how in this regret do you experience God’s presence?
Closing Prayer
Bind up the wounds of my mistakes, O God, and help me learn from them.
Use my regrets to give me insight into my choices and actions.
Forgive me my sins and raise me to new life today.
In the name of +Jesus, Amen.