Shout it aloud, do not hold back. 

Raise your voice like a trumpet. 

Declare to my people their rebellion and […] their sins. 

Isaiah 58:1

I’ve been thinking about the call we see in Isaiah 58 to corporate repentance, as a people and a nation.

In the white Western Christian culture I’m part of, we often look at sin and repentance as an individual thing. And yes, we are all individuals with our own personhood and our own personal relationship with God.

But we’re also all connected and all part of a larger body. So when I repent – by Goodness, with Goodness, into Goodness – I do it in recognition of the impact it has on others too. 

Like today, for example. I had a conversation with God halfway through the day about needing Holy Spirit’s help to find peace and strength when I was losing them after facing a few difficult work situations. I allowed my thinking to be renewed by Goodness and I stepped into it by behaving differently. I did it for me, but I also needed to do it because of my connection to the people around me. I was caught up in my own pressures and worries, which were (mostly!) valid and revealed where I needed God’s help. But I realised that these were impacting my demeanour and my words and my response to others and in turn the whole atmosphere of our work environment. 

Actually, this has been my prayer all week, the conversation with God I’ve kept coming back to and the request I asked friends to pray for too – that I would be able to create a joyful and peaceful atmosphere at work in the midst of difficult situations and a stretched team. But still I forgot and forget and am learning.

Today I saw clearly how allowing God’s goodness to change me – repenting – made space for Goodness to flow through me. And wanting that Goodness for those around me gives me the courage to step into it for myself too.