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Repentance isn't asserting that I'm going to do something about my sin, it's admitting I can't do anything about my sin. This is a biblical definition of repentance.

There is another nuance that I've missed for years. Repentance isn't just admitting that I can't do anything about my sin, it's about admitting that I can't do anything about anyone else's sin either (Lynch, Thrall, McNichol)

Whoa. That's not cool. That's not fair. That's not right. But, guess what, it is so freeing.

See, I've spent most of my life rehearsing mental arguments during moments lacking work, in which I convince others why they're wrong, how they've hurt me, and how they need to be fixed. I've also spent most of my life trying to manipulate others into doing what I wanted them to do for me or hiding from them, so that their sin won't hurt me any more. Do you see the lack of repentance here? What's happening is I'm trying to do something about someone else's sin. The Bible, however, is clear: There's nothing I can do about anyone's sin.

Now, don't get me wrong. I fight for justice. I set up healthy boundaries and tell people what I won't let them do to me, within what ability I have. However, there is an underlying premise I must accept. Even when I set up healthy boundaries or fight for justice, John or Mary will still sin against me, and I must admit and accept that there is nothing I can do about their sin.

In my mind this does two things: First, it is a recognition that only God can handle their sin, primarily through His heart for them and behind-the-scenes stuff He's doing, which we are oblivious to most often. Only He can redeem their sin, I can't redeem it for Him. Second, I can stop working. I'm not responsible for their sin. This takes the pressure off. God is very interested in giving us this gift. The gift of peace.

Repentance isn't just about our sin, it is about admitting we can't do anything about the next person's sin either.

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These are my re-hashed thoughts of what I've primarily learned from Lynch, Thrall, and McNicoll, intertwined with my own reality. I try never write about stuff I haven't experienced. I try never to contemplate or conjecture what *might* be true. These thoughts are based primarily on what I've experienced.