Joyful Regret

A friend and I are reading John Piper's Life as a Vapor together. Last week we talked about the first three chapters and we were both most impacted by the meditation on what Piper calls "joyful regret." His question is this - "Will there be regret in Heaven?" Piper's answer is yes, we will remember, but only that our joy may be truly full. He says:

It is inconceivable to me that we will remember our sin or what it really was, and the suffering of Christ for what it really was, and not feel regretful joy. The intensity of our joy in grace will be fed by the remembrance of our unworthiness. "He who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47). (page 20)

In pondering that idea, I wrote this:

Joyful Regret

What will I know in Heaven? The beautiful, glorified faces of those I love, I’m sure.

But what else? What will I remember? Only the good things of this earthly life I’ve lived? Spring strolls and good deeds, morning moons and uproarious laughter?

Or will I remember the bad… the ugly… the shameful?

I’m told there are no tears in Heaven. But no, wait. Isn’t it really that they – the tears, I mean – will all be wiped away? So –

it seems to me – that tears will fall, but comfort will come.

He will stop as we are walking and talking, gently turning me to look into His beautiful face. With a kind hand He will touch my wet cheek and wick away my tears falling from whichever regret we are speaking of and say to me,

“That’s why I came down there, love. Don’t you see? So now have joy that I loved you this much.”

Then He’ll stretch out His arms so wide that inside I’ll see the Universe – millions upon millions of planets and stars and galaxies. And I will understand grace...

and mercy...

and love...

as I have never understood them before.