Which of the following phrases would you rather hear as instruction?
Repent and stop it!
Rethink and return.
It’s a no-brainer, right?
There’s nothing better than to have a sour-faced critic screeching “Repent” in your face (or on your timeline).
Oh, wait … you like the other one.
Well guess what? Your preference means nothing! It’s what you need, baby!
(Sorry, the sarcasm is strong with this one.)
May I tell you a secret? Thanks.
“Repent” is something we all need to do on a regular basis, not because we are evil and deserving of wrath (though that’s not outside the realm of possibility). No, we need to repent because we’ve lost our WAY and our WHY.
Here’s the secret that I didn’t learn for a really long time: the word most often translated “repent” in the New Testament doesn’t mean that we’re supposed to feel guilty and stop doing bad stuff. It doesn’t mean—as I’ve so often heard—to turn 180 degrees from the way you’re going and go the other way. It’s not primarily focused on outward actions.
The word actually means to “rethink.” In other words, to change one’s mind or purpose. It’s focused on the inward process of decision-making that precedes the outward actions. It may not be a 180 degree turn. It may only be a 5 degree recalculation that results in a different trajectory that is revealed over time to be more and more effective.
I thought about this concept this morning when I read Acts 3:19. The translation I first read says,
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (New International Version).
I was already aware of the word translated “repent” and how it refers to the mind more than the hands. Then I read a paraphrase known as “The Voice.” Here’s what it said:
“So now you need to rethink everything and turn to God so your sins will be forgiven and a new day can dawn, days of refreshing times flowing from the Lord.”
“Rethink everything.” This is the heart of repentance—not simply a turning away from doing bad things, but a return into the refreshing flow of God’s purpose so that He can reshape our way of thinking about everything.
God had a purpose in mind for each of us before we ever drew our first breath. I don’t mean that He had every step predetermined. I mean that He had a vision in mind of the kind of person He wanted us to be and He’s given us opportunity after opportunity to live in the flow of that purpose.
But, we’ve gotten distracted and have made some bad decisions. We need to pause and rethink those decisions and ponder how we might return to the life He created us for.
What might each day look like if we were to arise in the morning, take a few deep breaths, spend a few moments in silence just thinking through our day and then asking God to show us how to rethink, return, reboot, and renew?
Would you give that a try tomorrow?
Be amazing today, my friend.
