The other day, when I was in traffic, the man in front of me was driving a black Jeep. On the back of the Jeep were several stickers with skulls and a few with crossbones, and in the middle of his display was a bumper sticker that basically said he was unrepentant. He was definitely signaling for all to see that he was a bad dude.
I’ve thought about him a lot. Bad? Maybe…but definitely headed in the wrong direction, and that makes me sad. I hate to see anyone defiant against the Lord, and I fear for what his ultimate end will be.
Repentant is a word that is not usually used in secular conversations. It is in the Scriptures, and the Lord has a lot to say about it. Most people think that the word means to be sorry…but that is not it. In the New Testament, it is from the Greek word metanoia, which means to change one’s mind for the better.
In other words, we look at our past sins and misdeeds, and we change our minds about them. We make a conscious decision to go a different way. When we are unrepentant, we are saying we will not change, we will stay the course we are taking.
In the orthodox churches, this past week began the season of Lent, i.e., forty days before Easter. Christians are supposed to examine their lives and see if there is something they need to repent of…some practice, some sin, some habit that has overtaken them. When we are unrepentant, we are saying to God that we are okay the way we are.
As far as I am concerned, there is not a person on this planet who doesn’t have something they need to repent of. During this season, we would all do well to examine our own hearts. We do not want to be unrepentant. Proverbs 28:14 says: “Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”
The Lord Jesus paid a high price to cover the cost of our sins. Let’s not take it for granted. If he cared enough to put his life on the line for us, the least we can do is take a good, hard look at our own lives and see if there is something we need to repent of.
photo by john hein courtesy of pixabay.
Valerie Cullers 
We all need Jesus 🙏
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Amen!
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WoW….It’s easy to point at the guy with the skull stickers, but Lent reminds us to look at our own hearts first. None of us are without something that needs changing.
That is why on my new Jeep Compass I named her DayBreak. I will have Jeeping For Jesus decals on her.
Why DayBreak? God’s mercy starting again. Every DayBreak is a reminder that God gives us another chance, and He has given me many. Psalm 30:5 says weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
I do not want to be unrepentant. I want to keep turning back to Him. Every new morning is proof He is not done with us yet.
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I so love that! That’s a post on its own. I hope you do one on DayBreak!!!!!!!
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🤗 Great Idea 🤗🙏
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That’s why I’ve chosen to fast from taking offense this Lent season and am poting aoubt it each week.
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What a great idea! Thanks so much for stopping by!
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♥️🙏🏻 I agree with your sentiments. I’m always concerned when someone says they have no sin…. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
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Yes, so true…we are ALL flawed human beings! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. 💜
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💕
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Yes Val! Lent has started for us and each year I think I can add yet another item to my list of things to fast from, as an offering for repentance, and to clear my heart of attachments and make room for the Lord to set up shop in me! St Ignatius rules of spiritual discernment remind us when things are spiritually low for us, we should make a “quarter turn” to shift geers spiritually. Similar to the turn of metanoia. As for me, I ask myself lately if I have “taken a step” toward the direction in which I need to change. A small concrete shift. It helps form the habits and virtues that lead to real change! Blessings to you!
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So appreciate the thoughts and the concrete way we can make a change. So good to hear from you Meg, I have missed you! 💜
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I have missed you too! Life is living me lately but I am making a quarter turn! 🙂
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Maybe a black Jeep like that is an omen with cup holders—a roaming parable on four muddy tires. Don’t curse it; you might need to pass it. It’s a rolling reminder that when the road narrows, some drivers grip the wheel harder instead of turning around, and the universe occasionally sends a Jeep to ask, politely if there is rough terrain ahead. 🐥
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Such an interesting perspective!
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Well said, Valerie. So many people today are teaching a gospel absent of repentance and absent of obedience for they claim such as these are not required of God, or they alter it and weaken it to a mere admission of wrong but with no change of heart, mind, and behavior. And that is a very sad situation, indeed. Repentance seems to have gotten lost, so thank you so much for bringing it out into the open. All of us should be in a continual process of change and spiritual growth and renewal. Sad that so many are refusing to repent. Breaks my heart.
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So, so true! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!
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