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Repent

by D. Moses

Making mistakes is human, and so is the terrible way we feel when we fail to obtain closure. Closure is only earned when we feel that a situation has been played out from start to finish and nothing has been left unsaid or undone. It is a critical element of coming to peace with the interactions and events in our lives, and not to transfer blame to the wrong place.

Repenting for your mistakes and correcting them whenever possible is amazingly the answer to inner peace. True, the peace in the short run may be disturbed—but that phase will pass. Living with unfinished business can do long term damage to our overall well-being. Defensiveness, fear of rejection, and vanity can stand between us and “closure”:

None of these are reason enough to put yourself at odds with your conscious. Allowing yourself to be defensive is destructive. If you tell yourself that a particular mistake was only a result of circumstances that others placed upon you, your internal voice will begin to call you a victim. Eventually, you are going to believe it and become one. However, if you admit your mistake, repent for it, and take steps to fix the mess you’ve made, you are taking control. Your inner voice will connect with your intellect, bringing about a confidence that can prevent you from making similar mistakes in the future.

The truth is, if you go to someone to apologize, they very well might reject you or retaliate. Depending on the mistake, you could get fired, your spouse could leave you, or you could suffer a financial loss. However, while repenting for your mistakes and taking steps to repair the damage may be painful—stress, feelings of regret, and the anticipation of being “found out” will be relieved. By taking responsibility, you gain closure for yourself, and quite often, for others.

Vanity is perhaps the most damaging element that prevents closure. We make the mistake of not wanting to look dumb, subordinate, or less intelligent than others around us. Authentic pride comes from correcting mistakes and letting others know we are sorry for what we have done.

Grasp the peace that is waiting for you. By taking ownership of your mistakes, you take ownership of your life. At times, there will be a price to pay, but it won’t be at the expense of your heart and your mind, because you will know that you did all that could be done to make things right.