As we kick off a brand new year, the last thing that many of us want to think about is a life that is full of regret.  Yet the truth is, as we come into this year, many of us want to begin again, or start over, from the year before because we are burdened by the regrets over the decisions we have made and the life we have pursued.  We want to leverage our life for something meaningful and beautiful.  Not think back and be faced with the reality of regret.

In order for us to do this, we have to think about the lasting impact of our decisions before we make them.  There’s almost no greater example of this than the life of Esau.  Esau, because he was so overwhelmed by the cravings of the immediate, sold his birthright, and the right to become a father of the people of Israel.  All of something as small as a bowl of soup.  It’s easy for us to look at him with a judgmental mind and spirit, yet we trade things that should matter to us for the cravings of the imminent.  

Esau serves as a reminder to us that if we want to leverage our life to create something meaningful, to love others well, and to, ultimately, find a life that can satisfy, it starts with us thinking ahead, and fighting regret before we have to face it.