Remorse is commonly described as an emotional expression of personal regret felt by someone after they have committed an act which they have now realized was shameful, hurtful, or even violent. It is common with guilt and personal resentment. During a recent trip to England, we toured a beautiful old castle, and while we were in the library, one elderly gentleman, serving as a volunteer guide, offered to share a story about a previous resident of the castle who was of royal descent. Whether an Earl or Duke, I don’t recall, but he was preparing to go off to hunt a wolf that had been ravaging his sheep. For some reason he was also responsible for a small baby that was sound asleep in a baby carriage. He commanded the family hound dog to stay by and protect the baby while he was gone. Obviously, the dog was well trained and could be trusted for the man to place that kind of confidence in him. When the gentlemen returned to where he had left the baby guarded by the hound dog he found the baby carriage had been turned over, and the baby’s blanket crumpled up on the ground. The baby appeared to be gone and the hound dog was sitting next to the blanket with blood all over its mouth. The royal gentleman looked over the scene and assumed that the family pet hound had killed the baby instead of guarding it as he was commanded to do. There upon, the gentlemen drew his sword in a fit of rage and slew his dog. Upon looking around at the scene a little more carefully, he spied a dead wolf whose throat had been torn open under a nearby bush. Then he realized that the faithful hound had successfully killed it. Just then, he heard a cry coming from underneath the blanket. As he lifted the blanket he saw the baby safely cuddled there having been protected by their faithful hound dog. He then realized what a terrible mistake he had made by assuming that his dog had killed the baby. He had killed his faithful family dog before carefully analyzing the scene. His remorse was such that his mistake was with him as a source of pain and anguish the rest of his life. The guide was not sure the story was a true story, but it was commonly told, and a small mural of the event was portrayed on one of the walls. Whether the story is true or not, it describes, in general, many similar events in the lives of human beings where misunderstandings, brief moments of anger have led to cross and undeserving words or even cruel behavior that caused separations. Remorse, what a sad word!
A member of our local congregation, a very kindly and elderly man told of an event in his life that he wishes he could reverse, but no! He realizes he can’t go back, and he can’t undo history. He is 81 years old, and after being married at a young age and happily for several years with several young children, there started to be arguments over money, etc. After 16 years of marriage, he walked away. Right now, he doesn’t even know where some of his family are. He knows that they would all be adults and his former wife may have even passed on. It is twenty or even more years since he has seen them. He was inactive in his church for many years, and now that he is actively involved once again, he realizes how important his family was to him and how he would like to reverse the ravages of time. He would like to be back there, at a time before he left, with the knowledge and patience that he has learned and developed over all these years. But no! He can’t go back, and all the right he has done since will not change his remorse. REMORSE! Is there a man or woman who has walked the earth who has never experienced the emotion of regret for something done or said? The saddest words of both tongue and pen are these, “That it might have been.” Something might have been done or said differently, but no, and thus we have remorse. Gratefully, for most, the good that we do, the love and kindness we share, will trump or outweigh remorse and leave us knowing that we are, for the most part, good people.