No Regerts

Having retired in July 2017, I do have regrets.  My new vocation of working with professors through Faculty Commons allows me to reflect and identify things I could have done during my tenure as a professor.

Here are some of my regrets:

I wish I had carried a Bible to class, at least a few times per semester. It’s a book, The BOOK, but still a book.

I wish I had kept a bowl of candy in my office. This attracts folks to chat.

I wish I had offered to pray more often with students, faculty, and staff.

I wish I had taken more people to lunch, and invited small groups of students to lunch.

I wish I had been more aggressive in sharing the gospel. I have it down to 10 words. Who can complain about ten words? Well, we know they can, but why not do it anyway?

I wish I had written a guide for Christian graduate students. They know how to live as Christian undergrads, but grad school is a different animal.

I wish I had mentioned to my students about those occasions when I heard directly from God. Yes, it happened and happens still.

I wish I had offered a student Bible study to students I had taught in previous semesters. They would be volunteering to participate, so who can complain?

During the final exam, I wish I had placed a box of good evangelistic books such as “The Case for Christ” outside the classroom door and invited students to pick one up as they left the room.

I wish I had gotten to know my undergrads better. I did pretty good with grad students, but I could have done better with the undergrads.

I wish I had put together more talks for students on family and marriage and other intense interest issues.

I wish I had made a bigger deal over office hours, inviting students to discuss things besides just class content.

I wish I had reached out to more international students, particularly over the holidays and particularly after my own children began to leave the nest.

I wish I had done more to encourage my Christian students to keep at it, to use college as an opportunity to grow in their faith.

I have come to recognize more clearly the eternal nature of my students and friends. I might not impact them all, but I can impact a few.

We did some good things in inviting students to our home, participating in Cru Mission trips, and speaking for Cru after some international professional conferences.

And perhaps that is the way of all things. We can always look back and identify things we wish we had done. But take note, if you are not yet retired, there may be some things you can do now to cut down on the number of your regrets.

Can you think of any?