regret and repentance

"Sometimes we mistake regret for repentance.  It's been said that regret is an old man's disease, but what a shame to waste it on the elderly.  Anyone can wallow in regret, but not everyone knows how to repent.  Repentance entails a turning away from yourself (including your regrets) toward someone who has the authority to give the definitive answer to your entire life.  With regret, you're beating up on yourself and loving it.  Repentance acknowledges the possibility of an answer that makes things right." -- Richard Lischer in the Christian Century, February 18, 2015

Challenging words -- and hopeful.  But challenging.  I'm unaccustomed to thinking of regrets and repentance in this relationship.  While I can think of plenty of regrets that could be better served by repentance, I don't tend to feel like the regrets I carry are sins, per se.  The more I think about it, though, the more I suspect Lischer is on to something, and the key lies in this notion of turning away from yourself toward "someone who has the authority to give the definitive answer to your entire life."  If I'm hung up on my preconceptions, regrets or otherwise, I'm not looking toward fresh possibilities.  I'm too self-directed to benefit from the gift of spiritual discernment.

Huh.  Good words to ponder this week.