The first recorded words we hear from Jesus in Mark’s gospel are these: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news (1:15).”
The word “repent” means turn around, change your mind, your direction, your orientation. The word doesn’t mean beat your breast. It doesn’t mean feel total and unremitting shame, remorse, guilt. And yes, I know that this is how the word is often used; and yes I know that many of us have been beaten up by the word. But anybody who has done that to you didn’t do his or her homework. Anybody who did that to you was working out his or her own agenda and was not working for Jesus.
When Jesus says “repent” he is saying come back to me, come back to my love. He is saying, “Dearest Brother, dearest sister, if you keep on going that way you are going to get lost, in trouble; you are going to get hungry; you are going to hurt your self or someone you love.” Repent is a loving word. It can be a strong word, even a fierce word, but it is, again, always a word about love.
So, how might you need to repent this Lent? Turn around? Come back home to God? Come back home to yourself, your best self, the self God made you to be? Don’t be ashamed to ask for directions. Consult the map. God is home.
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... per my post on the Doughnuts question, giving up my glass of wine at night has been just the thing to clear the path back home to God and back home to myself.
ReplyDeleteWithout this anesthetic to mask any emotional pain built up during the day, I can let in God to sooth me and help me work through it.