True Repentance

Sometimes life can feel like one big performance. We can get caught up in pleasing people, becoming successful, and attaining our greatest dreams. While those things are all good, what happens when we fail? 

Most people are hard on themselves when they don't live up to their own expectations, or the expectations others have set for them. Can you remember a time you messed up? Did you feel guilt, shame, or even condemnation?

God’s Word talks about this very thing. That’s because God knows that we are not perfect, and that we will mess up in life. But when Paul talks about sorrow that comes from God, he talks about it very differently.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul says that godly sorrow doesn’t lead to condemnation, shame, or guilt, but rather it leads to repentance and restoration. When we look to Jesus, we are reminded that He took on all of our shame and guilt on the cross. This means we don’t have to carry the shame that Jesus already carried.

When we mess up, our first response should be to go to God and remind ourselves of the truth of the cross. While earthly sorrow pushes us down, godly sorrow brings us to Jesus—where we can know we are forgiven and made new.

So while we may still mess up and fail, we can be confident that we are continually being made new by Jesus. God’s love and forgiveness never change.

Take some time to think about the love of God and His forgiveness in your life. Remind yourself that you are a new creation empowered by the Spirit of God to walk in new life. Write down one or two ways that you can remind yourself of these truths throughout your week.