Repent?

For me it is worthwhile to look closely at the words we use, and the words that we do not use. Looking at words that have a good reputation, like love. Everyone says they love love. Some words sound like what they define, and some words have very unpleasant associations. Words like sin and repent almost create a visceral reaction in the back of some of our minds. They are charged with all of the times we heard them being used, who spoke the word, and who they were describing. Why not consider reclaiming some? Words like oath and vow. To live life as a vow is one of the truly great blessings. Other words to consider reclaiming are repent and sin. 

When these two words would come up in the past I would experience a sort of guilt, a shame that I was unclear of but somehow responsible for. They seemed to be used by people who I both judged and felt judged by, and were connected to words like damnation and hell.

However, I now know it is important to look at the submerged meanings of words and to have the courage to reclaim antiquated words in our modern world. These words can be used to clarify our mission and can be accessed for strength and resilience. The word sin originally came from archery, and was simply to have missed the object you were aiming for. To repent came from farming, was to take livestock and put them within an enclosed area, a pen. It meant to be put in a safe place.

We know that to sin is simply to be misguided in what we are aiming for. To repent of sin is simply to readjust your aim. We see that we would repent of the sin of shame, of guilt, and of holding ourselves in judgement of others. We can repent of being unkind, and using language to wound.. Perhaps we can  repent of trying to force life to be what we want, or shaping information to project our preconceived beliefs. Or maybe we can just learn to love ourselves, today, just as we are, and understand that becoming the new does not have to mean hating the old.