When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18 ESV)
Repentance
Fonzie from Happy Days was unable to pronounce the words, “I’m wrong.” When he occasionally tried, it sounded like, “I-ooom raahunnka…”
Fonzie is a lot like most of the world. We humans have a hard time admitting we are wrong. Whether it is pride, insecurity, ignorance, or immaturity, humans imitate Fonzie often.
But some of the richest moments in my life have come when I have realized how deeply wrong I have been.
Christians should be able to admit when we are wrong. Because while such admission for the world seems like jumping out of a burning building, Christians know that Jesus is the safety net waiting at the bottom.
In fact, admitting how deeply wrong we are is the first step we consciously make in being a Christian. Saying, “oh, how I need Jesus,” necessarily comes before, “Jesus I trust You.”
And once we have made that declaration, jumping is easier… and it becomes a pretty good habit.
We are peculiar, we know repentance.