Problems--and Repentance

It has seldom been popular to appeal for repentance. The prophets of past have been persecuted and imprisoned, banished and burned for calling people to repentance⎯perhaps because when a person proclaims the principle of repentance, he is presumed to be passing judgment upon other people, and perhaps because people don’t like to be reminded of what they have done that they shouldn’t or of what they should have done that they haven’t. And so, historically, it has been common custom to resent pleas for repentance. But repentance is a basic principle of existence, and always will be so long as people are not perfect. And prescribing repentance may seem to some to be an impractical approach. But without any ire, and without any accusation, let’s look at a limited list of a few of the things that some of us as individuals, and that some of us as organized entities, might consider as possibilities for repentance: Could there be some need for repentance from cynicism, deception, vanity, and insincerity? For repentance from indulgence and lax living? For repentance from extravagance and flagrant waste? For repentance from profane, offensive, and irreverent utterance? For repentance from false pride and brash boasting? For repentance from refusing to face facts? For repentance from idleness and indolence and withholding willing work? For repentance from fostering false philosophies? These are a few possibilities from a long list. And wherever it may be needed, let there be repentance from whatever we may need to repent of. There isn’t any problem we face, there isn’t hazard hanging over us, that prayerfulness and repentance and willing work and unity in righteous purpose won’t improve or prevail over or prevent. But to accomplish our purpose, repentance must be sincere. There is no efficacy in superficial repentance, but there is no righteous result that is not within reach if we will live by the principles upon which repentance is predicated.