Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.

— Proverbs 4:25-26

Regret is something that everyone struggles with. Depending on the situation or circumstances, the emotions of regret can linger for months or even years before one is able to refocus.

Many of us are inclined to look back on what could have been or should have been. People can also tend to look behind them to “the good ol’ days,” when life may have seemed sweeter, simpler, and less ­frantic.

But whatever might cause us to fixate on the past, Proverbs encourages us to look ahead. This is not because it’s bad or inappropriate to look back. We can learn a lot from our past mistakes, trauma, or the good times we enjoyed. However, Scripture calls us not to linger in the past but rather to glean from it (however long that takes) and then look ahead.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Set your gaze on the road before you and follow Jesus steadfastly. Let him be the ­focal point of your pathway in life. Run the race knowing that his Spirit is running with you and that he is ahead of you, waiting at the finish line.

“Guide me, O my great Redeemer, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but you are mighty; hold me with your powerful hand.” Help me, Jesus, to fix my gaze on you. Amen.