By Carol Pipes
Time is a key factor in what we regret, according to social psychologists Tom Gilovich and Vicki Medvec. Over the short term, we tend to regret our actions—things we did that we wish we hadn’t. But in the long run, we tend to regret more the things we didn’t do but wish we had. When people look back at their lives as a whole, regrets over what they didn’t do outnumber action regrets 84 percent to 16 percent.
We all say and do things we wish we hadn’t. I’ve had my fair share of moments when my words rolled off the tongue quicker than my brain could compute the impact of said words. And I’m left standing there wishing the world would open up and swallow me whole. Fortunately, in those moments I can ask forgiveness and move on in my relationship with the wounded.
But at the end of the proverbial day, it is the things I know I should do and dream of doing and don’t that cause the most regret. I don’t know about you, but my biggest moments of regret come when I realize I’ve missed an opportunity to share the gospel.
In today’s spiritual climate—when 4 out of 5 people in North America don’t know Christ—it’s imperative that we live with our eyes wide open, always on the lookout for opportunities to plant, water, or harvest the gospel seed in someone’s life. The stark reality of lostness should stir within us an urgency and passion to share the gospel with all people.
It’s not hard to imagine time’s fleeting nature when watching sands slide through an hourglass. Every day, every hour, every moment is a gift from God—we aren’t promised tomorrow. We must live with urgency and be ready to seize the divine moments God brings into our lives.
In this issue, you’ll discover how Southern Baptists are seizing their divine moments in order to share Christ and start churches throughout North America. You’ll also meet our eight Week of Prayer missionaries who have sensed God’s call to carry the gospel to North America and model lives lived with urgency.
I hope the stories and testimonies found in these pages will inspire and challenge you to ask the question, “What divine moments will I experience today? And when they arrive will I obey?”
Carol Pipes, editorcpipes@namb.net
P.S. Visit NAMB’s Video Gallery at www.namb.net to view “Living with Urgency” and our Monthly Missionary Focus videos.