My comments in parenthesis
1 Corinthians 3:
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
(they worked as a team towards the same goal, building the Church. God assigns ministries, gives spiritual gifts to carry out His goal)
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
(Christians have some sort of ministry responsibility to work, God inspiring each to do their part in ministry. One might tell someone about Jesus, then another Christian explains the gospel better, or gives someone a drink of water, and yet another prays with that person into their being born again. None of us should claim credit for what God does in that fortunate person, God using our efforts. You might have planted a seed in someone before those 8 years. A loved one might have been touched by God to pray a single prayer for you even though they were not a Christian. Many a preacher has ministered and seen many be saved, realizing later they were not really born again then. I was a Sunday school teacher 'against my own will', 4 years later called to Jesus by the Father.)
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
(None of us can do what God alone can do towards the increase. I lived in a rent house on a large farm where I learned roving families arrived to plant corn seeds. They moved on to the next farms. None of them were concerned about harvest of that crop. They just planted. The next teams arrived to pull weeds that looked to me to be no different from the corn plants. They moved on knowing the farm would be sprayed chemicals they couldn't do. Then came teams to assist with harvest, storage and transport. Christian works are often like that.)
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
(whatever you added to a loved one or stranger before those 8 years will be rewarded by God. He doesn't take back rewards from Christians, large or small in value of a labor performed for Him.)
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
(From what you wrote it should be sort of comforting you might have passed up some blessings for skipping some years of labor for the gospel of Christ, but who can evaluate the value of helping someone get born again later? Work towards that goal! Forgive yourself and advance in Christ. That alone likely will make former losses seem like losing a penny on a parking lot then later finding a coin there of great collector value. Some of those loved one might have been reached by someone in your place. It is not your burden to carry, for God gives increases man cannot perform.)
