“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18

Let’s continue our series on “Twenty Repentances.” Repenting is key to our faith, and we can start our lives of repenting with these twenty things. We have learned about repenting sins regarding God and the Bible. Today, we will focus on the sins we can repent regarding other people. If you think about, much of our problems and anxiety come from our relationship with other people. Relationships can either ruin us or make us very happy. If we repent and do these four things, our relationships can be repaired, bring us great joy, and be right in the eyes of God.

One. Repent the sin of not seeing God and addressing only people. Address others in the face of God!
Have you ever been talking about someone behind their backs and that person suddenly shows up? What do you do? You stop talking! Many times when we talk or interact with people, we forget God is present. The Lord is the archetype and human beings are made in His image; therefore, human beings and the Lord are always together. The Lord dwells in each person, and each person has an angel watching over him or her. So when we engage with others, realize he or she is not alone: God is with them. An angel is with them. We look at the face of God and the face of the person we address simultaneously. We must repent the sin of addressing people forgetting God is present as well. Imagine how our relationships can change if we consider God is with us at every interaction.

Two. Repent the sin of not loving each other. Love others as you love yourself!
This is God’s most basic command. You will find peace when loving others. Where is hell? You create hell when you hate. Create your kingdom of heaven by loving others! It might be hard to love an unlovable person, but after thinking about the Lord’s redemption, the kingdom of heaven, judgment day, and the eternal world, you quickly realize hating anybody is preposterous. Love others as you love yourself, and all your relationships will thrive under the Lord. If you harbor any kind of animosity, whether you feel it’s justified or not, don’t expect to be happy, and don’t expect God to bless you. Have only love in your hearts and love each other!

Three. Repent the sin of being arrogant, be humble!
We judge others subjectively. We set ourselves on a throne, and as kings, we address others with a deep sense of arrogance. If we keep God’s laws and engage others without making ourselves kings, we become one with God. When we interact with others, we must think, “I’m indebted to this person!” We reach this conclusion when we stand face to face with the Lord. We are humbled and indebted to all people. If we accept the devil, our entire lives revolve around being praised. It is all about “me” and nobody else. If the Holy Spirit governs us, we cannot help but be humbled and love others. So in this third stage, we need an accurate appraisal of ourselves to be true to others and God. We become arrogant when we lose sight of who we are and our place in God’s world. Don’t be arrogant! Be humble!

Four. Repent the sin of being careless when meeting people. Be cautious!
The closer we are to somebody, the more careful and cautious we must be. But the closer we get to people (spouses, relatives, friends, etc.) we tend to be less careful about what we say and do. The closer we get to people, the more we must work to ensure they remain treasures to us and we a treasure to them. If we are reckless, the people we are closest to can inject us with poison that will eventually destroy us. Be careful in all your relationships! Make sure they remain treasures! Avoid being reckless and thoughtless with people you think will accept anything you do. And in general, be careful of the company you meet. Remember God is there with you.

We seek human relationships to survive and thrive; we cannot live a happy life without interacting with others and building strong relationships. Don’t make the mistake of building relationships without God. When you meet people, remember God is there. Love others! Be humble! Be cautious! If we do these four things, we can repair broken relationships, foster and nurture healthy ones, and live happy and fulfilled lives!

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