Spiritual Formation- Repent (Response)

Hey and welcome back to my blog as throughout the reading of this chapter, I found several things refreshing, frustrating and illustrating.

I found it refreshing the way they clarified "repentance" -it is simply a change in thinking. When I first though about the word repentance, I had thought of it as a continuous recommitting my life to Christ. However, the book said that a true lifestyle of continuous transformative repentance is through changing our minds about Christ. This is so refreshing to know that all I need to do is ask for forgiveness and understand what I did was wrong and as a result, try to not repeat the same action again.

But on the other hand, they way the book describes repentance is a little frustrating. It almost makes it seem too easy when in reality it is not. It is hard to sit there and speak to God acknowledging your sin knowing that we are human and are prone to make the same mistakes. I almost feel like its a cycle of trying and failing. I ask for forgiveness and I am cleansed but then even through my efforts, I sin again. And I know that God forgives but does he grow tired of our apologies? And what happens if I forget to repent a few times? Is God understanding, does He forgive me? What is the result?

And finally, something that stood out to me from the reading was the illustrations. The short stories within the reading (bike story, quick shower illustration, the poor lawn and the game of life) really helped me focus in on what I'm reading. These illustrations are relatable and a short interlude from the lots of information. These illustrations pull me deeper into the reading as I continue to read with a fuller understanding.

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments and see you back for my next blog!