Summary: As long as we breathe, we can choose to care for the people around us, listen to the teachings of the Bible and live a life that is true to our deepest convictions. If we do, we'll have no big regrets.
In the movie We're the Millers, there is a funny scene in which a carnival worker named Scottie P arrives to pick up a teenager named Casey. Scottie P is a carefree and mostly empty-headed young man, a fact highlighted by his chest tattoo which says "No Ragrets." Yes, that's right: No R-A-G-R-E-T-S.
Casey's supposed father, played by Jason Sudeikis, asks about it. "What's this one?" he asks, pointing to the tattoo. "Oh this, that's my credo," says the young man. Sudeikis, without missing a beat, says, "You have no regrets? Like, not even a single letter?"1
Whether their tattoos are spelled correctly or not, a certain number of people claim to have no regrets. Living in a carefree and mostly empty-headed way, they enjoy their lives without taking the time to pay attention to what they are doing or what is going on around them. Jesus tells the story of a man who was the Scottie P of his day, "a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day."
The rich man ate, drank and was merry, oblivious to what was going on right outside his door. Jesus says that "at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores." The rich man could have helped poor Lazarus, but he did not. No regrets.
Jesus tells us that "the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried." And there, in Hades, the realm of the dead, we begin to get a sense of the rich man's regrets.
Regret Number 1. I wish that I had cared for the people around me. The poor man Lazarus was lying at his gate, covered with sores, and the rich man stepped over or around him each time he left his home. Every single day, the rich man missed a chance to help Lazarus by not even giving him the leftovers from his table.
Regret Number 2. I wish that I had listened to Moses and the prophets. The rich man realizes in death that he had not paid attention to what God said through Moses, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself."2 He had not heeded the prophet Isaiah, who said, "share your bread with the hungry ... bring the homeless poor into your house."3
Regret Number 3. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others imposed on me. Every day, the rich man ignored poor Lazarus, fully aware of the teachings of Moses and the prophets. But he didn't have the courage to live a life of integrity, one in which his actions were in line with what he observed and what he really believed to be true.
The rich man saw the poor man and knew that Moses and the prophets commanded him to help. But he did not. The rich man fell into a trap set by people who blamed Lazarus for his poverty, insisting that the poor man must be lazy or immoral. We can imagine guests sitting around the rich man's table, saying to him, "God rewards goodness -- it has always been that way! So, dress lavishly and eat sumptuously. You deserve it!"
Sadly, there are Christians who feel this way today. They believe that financial blessings and physical well-being are always the will of God for them. Material and financial success are seen as evidence of God's favor toward them. But such a belief is not reflected in the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
In Hades, where the rich man is being tormented, he lifts his eyes and sees Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. He calls out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames." It is very interesting that he asks for Lazarus to help him, even though he had never lifted a finger to help poor Lazarus.
Abraham says, "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us." Abraham makes clear that there is no way that Lazarus can ease his pain.
The rich man is discouraged, but he does not give up. He calls out to Abraham a second time, "Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house -- for I have five brothers -- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment." The rich man is rethinking his attitude of "no regrets" and is starting to focus on people besides himself. The man has feelings, caring deeply for his brothers. But Abraham replies, "They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them."
Yes, that's right, the rich man realizes. But since Moses and the prophets were not enough for him, he cries out a third time, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." Surely, they will turn their lives around if dead Lazarus comes back to life and warns them! Shaking his head, Abraham says, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
Abraham is talking to us, right along with the rich man and his brothers. He is talking to all of us, from his perch in the afterlife. The question for us is this: Are we convinced? Are we persuaded to change our ways if someone actually rises from the dead?
Jesus has risen, but most of us still have regrets. Looking back on our lives, we wish we had taken different paths or made different choices. One woman inserted an ad in the classifieds that read: "Husband wanted." The next day, she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
The truth is that none of us is perfect, and we will all come to the end of life feeling that we have made mistakes along the way. There are choices we feel badly about, alongside opportunities we wish we had seized. But what would it mean for us to die with no big regrets?
The top regrets of the rich man can teach us the lessons that we -- like his five brothers -- need to learn. We do not want to arrive at our deathbed saying, I wish that I had cared for the people around me. I wish that I had listened to Moses, the prophets and Jesus. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, with my actions in line with my beliefs.
We are not yet in the afterlife. We are not stuck in a place of regretting that we did not do enough, that we did not do more, that we did not choose wisely, that we did not have enough time. As long as we draw breath, we can choose to care for the people around us, listen to the teachings of the Bible, and live a life that is true to our deepest convictions. If we do, we'll have no big regrets.
Choices do not have to be large to be life-changing. The rich man could have simply shared some of his food with Lazarus in an effort to care for the people around him. We can feed the hungry of our community through gifts to a food closet, or participation in a feeding program at a homeless shelter.
Even better, we can take the time to get to know some of our unhoused neighbors, hear their stories, and work to improve their lives. One important detail of the story of the rich man is that he knows the name of Lazarus -- he actually refers to him by name. Can we say the same about our poor neighbors?
Choices can be small but deeply significant. Hearing the word of God occurs day-by-day, not all at once. Build time into your schedule for a daily devotion, a small group Bible study and regular attendance at worship. The message of Moses and the prophets, along with the teachings of Jesus, will shape your life best if you hear it in small and regular doses, again and again.
Finally, putting our actions in line with our beliefs -- living a life of integrity -- is a change that is made one choice at a time. Speaking the truth in love to a family member. Forgiving a friend who has hurt you. Being fair to colleagues and practicing righteousness in the workplace. Showing compassion to struggling people in your community. By lining up your actions with your deepest Christian beliefs, you'll live a life you won't regret.