The Rarity of Repentance

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” –James 4:7-9

When I read this passage, I immediately think back to a specific time in my life when I was awakened to the reality of how I am supposed to live for Christ. I was going into my senior year in high school and while I was known as the ‘good kid’, I was not taking holiness all that seriously. I had a great experience at a Christian conference, and I responded to the message that night in a very emotional way. I remember weeping in repentance and how absolutely freeing it was to experience God’s grace. It was so odd: complete brokenness, weeping, wailing, and complete freedom all at the same time.

While I have had other times where I have been brought to my knees like this since then, I must say it has not been often enough. I have not taken to heart the biblical commands to truly mourn over my sin. While to some degree I repent everyday, most of the time it is not a complete brokenness. Now please hear me: if we had these experiences everyday, it probably would not be healthy. However, not having them at all is not healthy either.

Let’s face it: true and complete repentance is a very rare thing in our society. We don’t like to do it, and we really don’t take it all that seriously. I believe that part of this is due to our focus on self-composure. We are way too proud to admit that there is anything wrong with us. While we don’t always need to publicly repent in front of others, we must confess that we cannot truly separate who we are publicly from who we are privately. So often our pride is not only found in how we act in the presence of others, but also how we act in the presence of God.

So, how is your repentance? Do you practice a steady diet of it, or is it a rare occasion for you? Repentance can be a very painful experience, but I have always found it extremely freeing and empowering to the life that Christ has called us to live. May you be willing to weep, mourn, and wail before God, and yet come away dancing as he frees you from your sin.