New way to walk…
A truly repentant person can make fun of oneself — can point out, even highlight, some latest stupid action. A truly repentant person has given up on all self-vaunting pretense. The repentant one knows that he or she is nothing, even embraces that fact because it bears the good fruit of freedom. No one can harm him or her for one has nothing to protect… no image to prop up, no status to maintain, no ego to keep puffed.
This person cares only to protect the Image and Name of Christ, to lift Him up, to please only Him… to have something to one day bring, to give back, to cast at His feet. (cf Rev. 4:10).
This soul knows his citizenship is in heaven. He sees it ever more clearly now for he has turned himself around. He sees himself more clearly now because he is walking toward the light, not toward his own ever-present shadow.
“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” (Prov. 4:18)
The truly repentant soul does not notice his own new goodness. How could he? He is not looking at his own way, he is looking only at the light.
To repent is “to feel such regret for sins or crimes as produces amendment of life.” It is associated with words like penal, penitentiary, pensive, pent-up, and penance. These words describe a man confined, bound up… a prisoner within and without. The repentant soul has revisited this captivity. He has decided it’s pursuits are nothing but destructive. He has heard that voice behind him. He has turned around, and he has seen it is Jesus!
A repentant soul walks in this repentance. This repentance is his new way of living. It is not a thing done once because of consciousness of naughty deeds, although that may have started the turning. But repentance is a new way to walk… exposed and vulnerable at all times before that light, no longer thinking how soiled can I still stay, but rather how clean can I in Christ become?
The repentant soul’s greatest desire is to be clean… to be cleaner… to be holy.
What is your’s?
More tomorrow…
thebrokenrunner 
One thought on “Monday, 7/22/19 – Pressing on…”