REPENTANCE: The Start of a New Life
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What is it like to repent?
The law of nature dictates that if you do something bad, bad things will eventually happen to you.
Eloy was an out-of-school youth. His neighbors and childhood friends grew up to be pick-pockets, snatchers, and drug users while Eloy followed her mother's advice and opted to live a straight life as a cigarette vendor, and jeep dispatcher.
One day, his mother got sick and she needed some medication. Whatever little money Eloy was able saved, were already spent. Upon hearing Eloy’s family situation, Lando, his childhood friend who followed a crocked path, invited him to go with his gang to earn some money. This time Eloy relented.
The group decided to rob a house under the protection of the darkness and stillness of the night. Eloy and the rest of the gang climbed to the two-storey house while Lando acted as the watchman. Unfortunately for the gang, the owner of the house was awaken by the noises they made, and alerted the barangay tanods in time before Eloy, and his companions were able to escape. All of them were captured, beaten and jailed except for Lando who was quick and smart enough to fleed.
If you were on Eloy’s shoes what would you feel? How would you react?
First, you will feel sorrow because of what happened to you.
This is the most natural and universal first feeling. If bad things happened to us, we normally feel sad about our situation.
After the first reaction, the parting point between a winner and loser, between a person with a hopeful future and a person with a hopeless future, between a Godly person and a worldly person emerged.
Second, you will feel sorry.
A Godly person feels sorry that he disobeyed his God who loves him; a worldly person feels sorry that he got caught. See the big difference?
Third, you blame someone.
A Godly person blames himself for what happened to him; a worldly person blames somebody else. In the case of Eloy, he would blame Lando for inviting him and leaving him, the police, and the barangay tanod for beating and capturing him, if he is a worldly person.
Fourth, you make a resolve.
In the case of Eloy he could make a solemn resolve to change, and not to repeat the mistake (sin) he has done; or he will vow to improve his skills, to be smarter next time, and never be caught again.
Fifth, you seek help.
A Godly person repents, and asks for forgiveness from God, and from the people he offended, and ask God's help to change himself to be a better person; a worldly person feels not regret, sees nothing is wrong with what he is doing, and seek to network with people who can help him improve his trade.
In every day, hour, minute and second in our life, we are in a crossroad; to think, speak and act the Godly way or the other way. And God in His infinite wisdom gives us the power to choose. What we (physical and spiritual) become from that point on, depends on the choices we make now.
When you disobey God, and sin, the only right choice is to repent – feeling sorry for offending a loving God, resolve not to make the same mistake again, ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness, and live a new life.
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