As a child and as a teenager and even as an adult, several times I would act in a certain way that wasn't helpful in my moving forward in maturity. I would make mistakes and endure their consequences. Many times, I would not change my behaviour, which meant changing my mind, until I got caught doing something inappropriate, or unacceptable to my own welfare or the welfare of the community.
One evening I listened to a preacher online who explained that the word "repentance" does not mean to repent of your sins. He was saying that the word by itself means to "change your mind." Then, when you add that word to other words, such as confess and sin, it means to repent of your sins. He referred to the fact that even God says in His word that He changed His mind.
I would add to that by saying that the story of Jonah and the whale and Nineveh is a prime example of humans and God changing their minds. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people there to repent of their sins, but Jonah decided not to. Then, after enduring the consequences of being thrown overboard in the sea and being swallowed by a whale and spit up on the shore, he repented. He changed his mind about doing what God had asked him to do in the first place-which was to go to Nineveh and tell people to repent of their sins.
As the story goes, the people of Nineveh did repent, which means they changed their minds about the sin they were committing against God and each other. Then God repented. He changed His mind about destroying Nineveh. Yet, Jonah was filled with sorrow that God repented, when He changed His mind about destroying that great city. Jonah went through a very drastic and tense ordeal on the sea and being swallowed by that whale, only to continue to not repent; to not change his mind about God's mercy and grace towards the city He was going to destroy.
As Indigenous people, we often get caught up thinking about other people's sins against us. Whether that was hundreds of years ago or in the present time. If we live on a First Nation or Metis or Native American community, we can often get caught up in being overly concerned about what the chief, council, or leadership are not doing for us. We can be overly concerned and often angry about the offenses other people have committed against us. Sometimes we can even make up scenarios about what we think other people have done to us. From my own experience with this aspect of overthinking things, these thoughts can often be exaggerated in our minds.
I have learned over the last year or so to spend more time repenting-changing my own mind about several things in my life. Sometimes it means changing my mind about a sin in my life and then confessing it to Jesus. Or I may change my mind about that behavior or thought. This then leads to me being less stressed and not filled with anxiety and bitterness.
Healing our hearts is an ongoing process in life. From the time we are born until the time we take our last breath, things that happen in life will upset us. If we don't deal with these issues properly and according to Jesus' way, this can lead to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual problems.
Experts will say that the way we deal with life with our emotions can affect our bodies. High blood pressure, anxiety, depression . . . and the list goes on. This will not lead to us being in a position to be there for our families, or our churches, or our communities. This will lead to a bitter person, an angry person, and a resentful person who always finds faults with others except himself or herself.
We must continually come back to this word "repent." Some versions of the Bible use repent and some use relent. They have similar meanings. They both involve the changing of the mind that leans towards compassion.
We need to constantly change our minds about many things. This means allowing our lives to be filled with the same compassion, mercy, grace and love that we see God showing us in the story of Jonah and the whale. Then when we love Jesus and what He did for us by dying on the cross for our sins, we see more compassion, grace, mercy, and love bringing us into a relationship with God. This creates peace with God and gives us the peace of God.
What are you struggling with this year? What are you not repenting of or not relenting of? Life is too short to hang onto the things that weight us down. Are you going through what Jonah went through? He was more concerned about other people and the consequences of their actions. Jonah was bitter that God changed His mind about destroying Nineveh. He told God that he knew he was a gracious God and full of love and compassion and that if Nineveh repented God would be forgiving. Jonah didn't want that. He wanted to see the people suffer and get destroyed. Is this how you feel about someone in your family, in your church, in your community?
Let's be intentional in changing our minds about the things that cause our hearts to be wounded and not healed. Let's let go! Let's lead by example and be more like our Father God and His Son Jesus. It takes courage and humility to take this path, but it's worth it. It will change the course of your journey. It will change you emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Let's do this together. Come with me.
Parry Stelter is a doctoral candidate with Providence University and Seminary in Contextual Leadership. He is an active member of his home church in Stony Plan, AB, Canada. He also offers workshop on dealing with grief, loss and intergenerational trauma, amongst other workshops. Visit his website at wordofhopeministries.ca to learn more about this ministry.
