Repenting frame of mind

Easter Sunday was very special day at the Mission.  Hundreds of people gathered for an Easter Chapel full of good music, testimonies and hope found in the risen Christ Jesus.   Many lives were touched.  The day continued with a ham dinner with all the fixings and plenty of candy for all, especially the children, who received full Easter baskets complete with chocolate bunnies.

About halfway through the day an older mission man motioned to me and asked if he could speak to me.  I quickly thought that often times this means that a mission guest  has a special need for money or a favor of some kind.  I put that thought aside and asked him what was on his mind.  His answer was not what I was expecting.

He said that he was in a “repenting frame of mind.”  He told me that my message had created a conviction in his heart and began to tell me the reason for the heavy heart that I sensed in him.  He said that he asked the Lord to forgive him for speaking in a very mean spirited way to someone  earlier and that he wanted me to pray with him for God’s forgiveness and strength to make it up to this person.  I could see that it had really bothered him and put him under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

I gently reminded him that the Bible declares, “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  The prayer I prayed went along the lines of this great promise of scripture and added a special request that the person he had offended so much with this mean spirited conversation would forgive him and reconcile.

In the same spirit of honesty and humility he said that he was going to go to  this person to ask forgiveness and seek to make it right.  I was pleasantly surprised and really humbled by his whole conversation and mindset.  The Lord was honored by his request for forgiveness and reconciliation.  It represented the reason for this day of resurrection hope and the transforming work that He does in the lives of so many, and especially this very special client.  We should  all follow his example and confess our sins to God  and seek peace with those we offend.

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Perry Jones
Executive Director

Categories: Perry's Blog