The Meaning of Repentance

The word "repent" is so tied to negative stereotypes. Just hearing the word conjures images of the nut on the street corner shouting out that the end of the world is near and that the rest of us are all going to hell.

But yet, I know there's so much more meaning behind this word than to simply make us feel bad about our wicked ways.

The word does not even mean "to feel sorry." Sorry isn't even part of it. We may feel sorry for our wrong actions and that may lead to repentance, but repentance itself calls only for action. It doesn't ask us to feel bad. It asks us to turn away from that which is bad. It asks us to leave behind our previous ways.

But there's even more to the story. Because turning away from the bad is never enough. After all, turning away leaves a vacuum. We're cutting out a part of our life — sometimes a huge part. And when we cut, we leave a wound — sometimes a painful wound — that aches to be soothed and filled.

So what do we fill it with?

Well the most natural desire is to fill it with the sin that seemingly "satisfied" us so much before. It seems logical. No matter our pain, it's nothing compared to the pain of our soul surgery and the loss it brings. Why not just re-embrace the sin and ease the pain.

There is great truth in the statement, "Nature abhors a vacuum." Simply removing a sin from our life is not enough. Because it doesn't replace the sin with healing. In fact, it's nothing more than another show of our own willpower. It's us try to heal ourselves, when all we have are the tools of our own torture. and the only result there can be is a return of the sin, rushing in to fill the space it vacated.

So repentance is not just a call to turn away. It's also our call to turn toward something better. It's our call to embrace healing and truth. It's our invitation to peace.

"Repent" is so associated with the sin itself, but the truth couldn't be further from the truth. To repent is not just about ending a sin. It's really about embracing something beyond ourselves and basking in the love, joy and peace we find there.