Redeem

Daily writing prompt

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

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What? You have nothing in your past that guilt drove you to repentance and redemption? To be cheeky, I’d say you just haven’t lived. But, hey, it was your life. But before you slap yourself on the back and offer congratulations, think about it a while.

In my life, I had something that I grew increasingly guilty about as it departed in the rearview mirror of my life. Luckily, I didn’t need to have anyone inform me of this. I gradually realized that I was punishing myself and sought clean up my act. No, it wasn’t something illegal, and I’m not revealing it in this post. But perversely, it and the repentance made me examine my life’s path, and from that examination came many good things.

I should call that stretch of road, Pondering Throughway, or Reflection Alley. It’s a heavily wooded road I wind up taking three or four times a week. Somehow, a lot of pondering gets done in those ten to fifteen minutes. Sometimes it’s just idle thoughts. But then, occasionally, it’s something big.

That day it was a biggie. It slapped me so hard I almost pulled over to the side of the road and started crying. What I had done was something very necessary, but done badly. I had just never put the bad, the good, and the repentance together in one connected stream of thought. I had pounded myself for it over a number of years.

Good coming from bad? On reflection, I think it happens all the time through repentance, followed by improvements in our actions. I think it’s the pairing of the two that can create genuine good results. You know it’s the “Go ye forth and sin no more” part of the equation. Not the superficial or artificial crying out, but proceeding as you always have. Don’t just bemoan the fact that you did badly and are sorry; do something about it. You’ll not only feel better, but your actions and sincerity will have a good effect.

Just my take on things!