Repentance. | A Weekly Word 2022

Repentance is far from a buzzword in the self-care and healing space. It’s not sexy or trending or click-worthy. To the contrary, it makes people uncomfortable. It conjures up thoughts of doomsdayers with handwritten signs shouting from the sidewalks that the ‘end is near’. Yet repentance is one of the most sincere and connecting acts that we can practice, and should be in our self-love repertoire.

Owning our wrongdoings, laying them at God’s feet, and humbling ourselves to a power that is greater and higher than we are is humbling, honest and vulnerable in the best way. Similarly, seeking forgiveness from others – the act of thinking over our actions, identifying our shortcomings, experiencing feelings of remorse, and committing to change for the better – is character producing.

With that knowledge, we should challenge ourselves to repent, to apologize as an act of healing, love, and growth. There are four “R’s” that we can use as a guide as we seek out grace and forgiveness. 

Responsibility. Firstly, we must accept and own that we have done wrong. There is no repentance in denial.

Remorse. Genuine regret for our wrong doing, not an act for others but a sincere sense of remorse, is at the core of repentance.

Resolve. A commitment, first to self and then to whoever we’ve offended, not to let it happen again.
Repair. Finally, an effort to make amends, and to the extent possible, to undo the wrong we've done and its impact.

Passage

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. 

James 5:16

Prayer

God, thank you for your unmerited grace and mercy. Thank you for the opportunity to humble ourselves before you and others. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts of confession, prayer and forgiveness. Help me to take responsibility. Help me to feel remorse. Help me to resolve to do better. And allow me to repair what I have damaged in order to grow and heal through repentance. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Practice

This week, I will consider an area where I feel as though I was in the wrong. I will commit to practicing the four R’s as an act of healing, love, and growth.