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有时，我们后悔的事情不是我们已经做的事情，而是我们没有做的事情。比如，在一次谈话或会议之后，我会回想一下，希望自己能以不同的方式说话或做一些事情，以获得更好的结果。我们都能想到我们希望自己会做却没去做的事。

在耶稣被捕的那个晚上，彼得三次否认他认识耶稣。尽管耶稣原谅了他，但如果彼得经常回想起那个夜晚，希望他能站起来说出真相，我也不会感到惊讶。毫无疑问，惧怕在彼得的否认中起了很大作用。害怕被发现。害怕与一个被指控的人有关系。害怕被审判，害怕自己被杀。但我在想，多年以后，当彼得回忆起这些事件时，是否也会有某种惧怕临到他——因后悔该做的事情没有做而来的惧怕。

惧怕有时也会和我们玩同样的游戏。也许我们害怕后果，或者害怕被评判，或者害怕说出真相之后的后果。后来，当我们回想起那些时候，也许我们又害怕了——害怕我们的性格不够好，或者害怕我们会因为没有做对而被论断。

但我们必须把这些失败交给神。神已经赦免了我们，祂完美的爱会驱走惧怕。（参约壹 4:18） 

Sometimes the things we regret are not things that we have done but things that we haven’t done. For example, after a conversation or a meeting, I’ll think back and wish I had said or done something differently—for a better result. We can all think of things that we wish we would have done, but didn’t.

On the night that Jesus was arrested, Peter denied three times that he even knew Jesus. And even though Jesus forgave him, I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter recalled that night often, wishing he had stood up and told the truth. No doubt, fear played a big role in Peter’s denials. Fear of being found out. Fear of being associated with an accused man. Fear of being tried and killed himself. But then I wonder if a form of fear might also have visited Peter years later as he recalled those events—fear tied to regret for not doing what he should have done.

Fear plays the same games with us at times. Perhaps we are afraid of consequences, or of being judged, or of what it might cost to speak the truth. And later, as we think back to those times, maybe we are afraid again—afraid that our character wasn’t good enough or that we will be judged for not doing right.

But we have to give those failings to God. God has forgiven us, and his perfect love drives fear away (1 John 4:18).