I was old enough to know better when I made a risky decision. I was out with friends and started talking with a guy from another high school who was bowling next to us. By the end of the evening, we were getting along so well that, when he offered to drive me home, I accepted. Even though my mom had repeatedly told me not to trust strangers and to never get in a car with one, that night I crawled into this guy’s sedan and told him my address. Fortunately, he drove me straight home.

After I got home l was immediately struck by a deep sense of guilt and shame. I’d violated a cardinal rule of our home, dishonored my relationship with my parents (who trusted me), and had carelessly put myself in danger. The next day I felt uneasy just being around them and tried to keep my distance. Since I’d gotten by with my transgression, it seemed silly to mention it. Why get grounded or face a tongue lashing when I could avoid it? But after a couple of days my misery became so unbearable, I decided I’d better face it. If I wanted to enjoy restored fellowship with the people I lived with, I needed to come clean, even if it meant punishment and humiliation.

To my utter astonishment, when I stood before my mom the next day and stammered out what I’d done with averted eyes and tearful sobs, she showed no anger whatsoever. She didn’t say any of the recriminating things I expected her to say, like “How awful … You should have known better!” or “You’re gonna pay dearly for this.” She could see how heartbroken I was over what I had done and freely offered her forgiveness without assigning any punishment to “teach me a lesson.”

Her kindness in how she received my confession was a beautiful picture of how God receives us when we’re finally ready to confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. He’s ready to receive us the moment we turn back to Him, and like the father in the prodigal son parable, He’s overjoyed that we’ve returned and humbled ourselves before Him. He doesn’t scold, scowl, or threaten us. He just offers cleansing, restoration, and a release from the crushing guilt we’ve been carrying.

Paul writes in Romans 2:4 (NIV), “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” In our pre-salvation days we saw God as vindictive and angry, ready to pounce on us for our sins, so we steered clear of Him the best we could. Only when our guilt became unbearable did we dare to approach Him, and—surprise!—He extended grace.  

Such unexpected kindness is stunning. Along with the relief comes a deep sense of awe. Knowing how undeserving we are of such treatment (after all, we knew better every time we sinned and broke His rules), our gratitude towards God inspires us to change our ways. Far from giving us permission to keep sinning—since we faced no reprisals for it—His grace instills in us a desire to please Him. This is what true repentance looks like. The biblical example that immediately comes to mind is Zaccheus … whose heart was radically changed by the kindness of Jesus. No self-respecting rabbi in Israel would have been caught in the company of such a flagrant sinner and social outcast. But when Jesus sees him and offers to come to his house, Zacchaeus responds with confession, repentance, and restitution. “Look, Lord!” he says in Luke 19:8, “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

We see another great example of this kind of heart change in Luke 5. Jesus is teaching by the Sea of Galilee while Simon, James, and John wash their nets. Because of the press of the crowd Jesus crawls into Simon’s boat at one point and they move offshore. When He finishes His teaching, Jesus says to him, “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answers, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. (vv. 4-6)

Such an unexpected blessing, revealing the kindness and power of Jesus, so stunned Simon that he fell at His knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” It’s an odd response to a catch that would mean fame and financial gain for him and the others. Most fishermen would see such a miracle as a sign they should continue fishing, maybe even expand their operation. But this is not what happened. When Jesus replies, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men,” their response was as surprising as the catch. “They pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” (vv. 8-11)

Our best response, the only appropriate response, to God’s lovingkindness is to drop everything else and follow Him in simple trust. Once He calls us into a new life with Him, our old life will no longer satisfy. Sure, our old ways of doing things may be more predictable and seem more secure. We’ll feel more in control of what happens. But that can’t compare to the joy of His companionship.

When our hearts have been changed by godly repentance, everything becomes a privilege, not a grind. We aren’t obligated to show gratitude and live differently—we get to! Like Jesus, we delight in doing God’s will. (See Psalm 40:8; Hebrews 10:5-7).

How He received us as sinners—with grace and kindness—becomes the basis on which we follow Him. In Romans 5:6 Paul wrote, “When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” If that is so, he continues, that Jesus was willing to die for us even when we were His enemies, “how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (v. 10) Having been freely forgiven, we continue to walk with Him in humility and gratitude. “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him … overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).   

Let’s not make our faith journey all about us when it’s really ALL ABOUT HIM.    

God’s provision of grace—both at the beginning of our walk with Him and throughout the rest of our lives—is unexpected, undeserved, but oh so precious. Let’s declare, as the psalmist did, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; for you are their glory and strength” (Psalm 89:15-17).   

Lord, remind me often how you humbled me and changed my heart through your kindness. Show me ways I can extend kindness to others in return. You have not treated me as I deserved—thank you for your surprising and amazing grace! As I follow you, turn my attention away from myself so I can fix my gaze on you, the author and finisher of my faith. I love you, Lord Jesus. Amen.