When the Son of Man [Jesus] comes in his glory . . . He will sit on the throne of his glory. . . He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left . . . Then they [at the left] will also answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?" Then He will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me" (Matthew 25: 31 - 33, 44, 45, NRSV).

Do you sometimes look back over your life? Old choices, decisions, actions, and reactions parade across your mind. It can be like judgment day. If only I had known! A procession of diverse emotions marches beneath these words. Regret, resignation, disbelief, disgust, disappointment, sorrow, despair, anger. If I had known then what I know now, I would have considered my choices more carefully, made other decisions, acted differently, or reacted in other ways. I would have . . . You finish the sentence. Each of us has at least one!  

It would be great if we had a crystal ball for predicting the consequences and implications of our decisions and actions. But, we do not. We live. We make mistakes. We learn. Wisdom seldom comes early; it often comes late. The challenge is to recognize and to accept wisdom whenever it does come and, then, act upon it. 

When it comes to looking back over our life, Jesus shares wisdom about how we can live a life without having to say with regret, "If only I had known!" Using a parable about sheep and goats, Jesus paints a picture of the last judgment when people will be judged based on their actions.

Jesus tells the people, divided into two groups, that He was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. Confused, both groups tell Jesus that they never saw him in those conditions. Jesus continues, explaining that those at his right hand who saw, cared and helped others in those conditions had really helped him. They were the blessed sheep at his right hand. Those who saw the least, the last, the lonely, the left out and the needy, but did nothing to help were the banished goats on the left. If only they had known!

Jesus' sheep and goats parable seems to say that one of the ways we avoid regrets about how we live life is by serving others. That does not mean we must wholly ignore our needs and desires. We cannot be Christ whose life is one of total service and sacrifice. But, we can imitate Christ's life. There is always something that we can do to help others.

God calls us to see Jesus and to live out our life in relationship with Jesus--with no regrets. We see God by seeing Jesus. We see Jesus by seeing others. We live as sheep by sharing God's love with others. But, loving as God does and seeing our life in the life of Jesus are not always easy or pretty.

It is holding a cup of water to the mouth of another as spit runs down your hand. It is searching through the rubble of toppled buildings engulfed in the stench of death looking for survivors. It is wading through flood waters to rescue others. It is caring for the sick when your emotional and physical energy are drained to the bottom. It is giving a coat to a child when yours may be thread-bare or helping a stranger who will never be able to repay you. It is ministry with prisoners who will never again know freedom in this life because of the terrible crime they committed. Yet, no regrets!  

The decision to live a life without regret is up to you. Do you want to live the days of your life without seeing and caring for others? Will fear prevent you from seeing them because you might be forced to weigh your choices, to make other decisions, to act differently, or to react in sacrificial ways that seem foolish according to the world's values? 

Jesus' words of wisdom are so close and so present at every moment and in each of your moments. If you do not want to stand in the crowd around Jesus looking back over your life and thinking "If only I had known," the time to act is now. You have both the opportunity and the capability.