“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life’ ” (Acts 11:18).

We might think of repentance as an unending burden of sorrow. When I was younger, I pictured a repentant person as rather dour and gloomy. What a surprise to read this verse and see that repentance is a gift from God—He grants it. That corrects a misunderstanding or repentance.

It may involve emotion, and often does. But the heart of the New Testament word translated “repentance” means a change in the way we think. That is what God grants us. We see things as they really are and recognize the way they are supposed to be. That is a miracle! Instead of stumbling in the dark and injuring ourselves God opens our minds to reality and we can embrace the life He designed for us.

That leads to life. We can’t find life if our minds are closed to the way out of our confusion and darkness. God grants repentance, a mental change—with or without emotion. That opens the door for us to believe in Jesus and that faith is the key to life. God grants repentance to us when we don’t know what to do next. It’s a beautiful gift. Then, when we repent we find ourselves in a new life that we couldn’t have dreamed existed before we believed