“Repentance is complete when your life is an open book before the one you have wronged.” —Pastor Charles R. Swindoll

God designed our souls to thrive when we connect in loving ways with other people. The psalmist delights in the beauty of healthy community:

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1)

Conversely, how miserable it is when people live in discord—people like the family members who haven’t spoken in years or the spouses who bicker incessantly. When our relationships suffer, the beauty of God’s design fades like a rose that turns brown and brittle when cut from its stem.

God is the Master Gardener who knows best how to restore relationships to their intended beauty. His Word contains the keys to a flourishing garden, and the first key is repentance.

To clarify a biblical concept, such as repentance, a helpful study tool is to see it modelled in Scripture and then draw principles from the person’s example. David’s repentance is on display in Psalm 31:9–16.

David didn’t move on with his life hoping his sins would be forgotten; he stopped. He looked back. He admitted his wrongs. And he took responsibility for the trash that littered the roadside—the splintered trust, dashed promises, and rotting pile of problems that his sin caused. Most important, rather than hide from the Lord as did Adam and Eve in their shame and regret, he drew close to the Lord to receive mercy.

Our acts of repentance—confessing our sin, taking responsibility for the consequences, and drawing near to God for mercy—please the Lord with the sweet aroma of heartfelt sacrifice (Psalm 51:16–17). The Lord longs for our repentance because He longs for a closer relationship with us. The process of confession, forgiveness, and restoration deepens our devotion to Him and bonds us with others like nothing else can. Shame separates us, but repentance connects and restores.

“Looking Back: Clearing Away the Trash We Regret” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series Finding Healing Through Forgiveness. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.