Less Regret

Six weeks ago, a few of us were walking through the new dorm, taking stock of the progress, and imagining the finished product. As we stood in the foyer, something didn’t feel right. The more we talked, the clearer it became that the room needed a section of balcony that was not in the drawings. Later that evening, Sarah and I went for a walk and ended up back at the dorm where I showed her the foyer and described the needed balcony. She agreed. However, the needed balcony created two problems.

The first was that change-orders cost money.

The second was that, God willing, the new dorm would serve students at RBC for another 100 years. And so, for the entirety of my life on earth, that space would not feel right.

Earlier in life, the long-term outcomes of decision making were less important to me. Things have changed. The regret that comes from short-term trade offs feels about as desirable as a bad case of poison ivy. As I looked at the empty space needing a balcony, I could imagine staring at that area in ten years and ruing our decision to save money. So, we changed the order and built a balcony. No regret.

I’m reminded that Kingdom work is long-term work requiring the rejection of short-term tradeoffs. We die to ourselves in order to experience eternal life. Ordinary life affords us the opportunity to practice choosing long-term outcomes over short-term conveniences, strengthening our faith. May God bless your patience and sacrifice with less regret and more joy!