Most people think repentance is a religious word.
I discovered it is a life word.
A word that points toward change.
A word that points toward truth.
A word that points toward becoming who you were always meant to be.
I was first introduced to repentance when I read the New Testament.
I didn’t fully understand what John the Baptist was doing.
Why was this man standing in the wilderness shouting at people?
Why did Jesus validate him?
What was so important about his message?
Years passed and I continued to ponder it.
Let me say this carefully.
I am not speaking about religion.
I am speaking about where any worthwhile religion should ultimately lead a person.
THE SEARCH FOR MY OWN ANSWER
I have always preferred to experience things for myself.
I am interested in origins.
Depth.
Mysteries.
Reality.
I wanted to know what repentance truly was instead of merely accepting someone else’s opinion.
Then I discovered something.
The Greek meaning of repentance is simple.
It means:
To change.
Suddenly the pieces began coming together.
CHANGE WHAT?
That became the next question.
Change your actions?
Yes.
Change your thinking?
Yes.
Change your attitudes?
Yes.
Change how you conduct your affairs?
Absolutely.
But perhaps the deeper question is this:
Why does the inner void remain even after obtaining everything you thought you wanted?
Maybe the issue isn’t what we are lacking.
Maybe it is what we are carrying.
Maybe it is what we refuse to let go of.
STOP… AND LET GOD BE GOD
At some point a realization began to emerge.
There is an eternal system that existed long before we arrived.
God does not require our assistance in being God.
Yet many of us spend our lives trying to control what was never ours to control.
John’s message began to sound different.
Stop.
Be still.
See what rises within you.
Acknowledge what you already know but have been pretending not to know.
Allow truth to have its say.
Then change.
THE NARROW PATH
Many who heard John thought he was out of his mind.
A man living in the wilderness.
A man speaking uncomfortable truths.
A man calling people to examine themselves.
Yet truth often arrives from directions we least expect.
The narrow path is rarely crowded.
The most valuable roads are often the least traveled.
THE EXHAUSTION OF OTHER REMEDIES
People seek relief everywhere.
Pleasure.
Money.
Status.
Power.
Distractions.
Escapes.
Yet after exhausting every common remedy, many still find themselves unsatisfied.
Then perhaps the voice in the wilderness deserves a hearing.
Perhaps the answer is not out there.
Perhaps it is within.
LET YOUR INSIDES CATCH UP TO YOUR OUTSIDES
Many of us become experts at appearances.
We learn how to look successful.
Look strong.
Look happy.
Look confident.
Meanwhile something deeper remains unattended.
Repentance allows the inside and the outside to meet.
The false self begins to fade.
The true self begins to emerge.
THE GIFT OF A FRESH START
Repentance is not condemnation.
It is invitation.
It is an opportunity to begin again.
An opportunity to see clearly.
An opportunity to exchange illusion for truth.
An opportunity to become whole.
THE KEY
The key is surrender.
Lay down your will.
Lay down your pride.
Lay down your need to control everything.
Become still enough to hear your conscience.
Simple enough to receive.
Humble enough to learn.
Tears often unlock doors that intellect cannot.
Humility opens doors that force cannot.
Faith opens doors that logic alone cannot reach.
THE PAYOFF
No one can reveal the deepest mysteries of life to you.
Those discoveries are personal.
But I can tell you where the journey begins.
It begins when you stop running.
It begins when you become honest.
It begins when you allow change.
Repentance is not merely turning away from something.
It is turning toward something.
Toward truth.
Toward healing.
Toward your true self.
Toward God.
And perhaps that is where the greatest adventure of life truly begins.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
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