The Journey to Repentance

There’s an old joke that goes: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change. : Funny, perhaps, but many a true word has been spoken in jest.

The Greek work for “repentance”, metanoia, literally means a change of mind. When we misbehaved as children and then apologized to our parents, we would usually hear that sorry doesn’t cut it. How true! In confession, sorry doesn’t really cut it - it’s only the beginning. It’s not enough for us to just be sorry for what we did, but rather we need to make a sincere effort to change our ways; and not just what we are doing, but how we are thinking. If that sounds impossible for you to do, you’re right. We can’t do it on our own, but like with everything else in life, true repentance requires God’s intervention. There’s one catch, though: God won’t force repentance upon us; we have to ask for it with a sincere heart. It’s only when we truly want to change that change becomes possible.

Most of you are probably familiar with the tale of The Emperors New Clothes by the Danish poet Hans Christian Anderson. An Emperor hires two men who promise him the finest suit of clothes made from the most beautiful cloth. The men are con artists, and pretend to make the suit, telling the Emperor that it’s invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his position. The Emperor, of course, can’t see the suit, but pretends that he does for fear of appearing stupid; and naturally his subjects go along with it. When the men report that the suit is finished, they pretend to dress him. The Emperor then goes on a procession through the town showing off his new "clothes". During the course of the procession, a small child cries out, "But he has nothing on!" The crowd realizes the child is telling the truth. The Emperor, however, holds his head high and continues the procession. For the Christian, the con artist is the Devil, who convinces us that our sins are “normal” and “acceptable”, or worse yet, that we have no sins at all! We’re certainly not fooling God, only ourselves.

When we finally “come clean” and begin to realize just how sinful we are, then, and only then, will the abundance of God’s mercy begin to work within us. Coming to confession in true repentance is essential, but repentance isn’t limited to Sunday confession, it’s a continuous part of the life of a Christian. Start right now, while you’re reading this blog. Don’t wait until tomorrow, or the “next time”, because that may never come. Once you’ve begun your journey to repentance, be patient with yourself. You’re going to fall many times on the road that leads towards the Kingdom of Heaven, but each time you fall, keep right back up, repent, and continue along the Way. Never forget, though, that you never walk this journey alone, for the Lord says: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10).