I know what you're thinking. "Why in the world would Kara write a book about repentance? How boring. How unlike Kara to pick such a theological topic."
I get it. I've genuinely asked myself the same question before. But when I remember everything the Lord taught me through the process of writing this book, I know that people need to hear the Father's heart behind the subject of repentance-- which is what He taught me and why I'm so in love with speaking on this topic.
I've pasted (below) the story I share in the beginning of my book where He told me His heart on the subject. This story explains how the Lord grabbed my attention and got me back into writing after having laid it down for a season. That is when I knew He never wanted me to quit my assignment because it's too important to Him. We are too important to Him.
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Around 2014, after having written a large portion of the book already, I got sidetracked with life and took a year off from writing. I remember being so overwhelmed with having children, experiencing financial struggles, and making some tough decisions about our ministry at the time. It all felt like too much and I didn’t know exactly what to do with this book or how to bring it to fruition, so I simply tabled it and told God to let me know if I was ever to pick it up again.
During this child-bearing season of my life, I spent a lot of time indoors. Being an extreme extrovert, it was a very hard transition for me to be a stay-at-home mom, as many moms can attest. When my husband would come home from work, there were some days I would beg to just go run errands or get out -- even if it was to just drive around for a bit.
Most of the time, I would run errands or grab a coffee and stop by a Christian bookstore that I absolutely loved. This bookstore was my saving grace for about a 4-year period. I would browse books, read cards, and simply take in the comforting feel of being surrounded by so many thoughts of God. I consider books to be mentors and I love hearing the heart of each writer, especially when they share revelation from God.
My husband also loves browsing books with me, so one day we went out to lunch and ended up at my favorite Christian bookstore.
I remember exactly where I was standing when this older gentleman came up to me. He said he worked there and if I needed any help, let him know. I smiled and told him thanks. Then, a few seconds later, he began chatting with me.
More than anything else, I remember his eyes being so filled with joy and peace. And they sparkled with purity and life– unlike any other eyes I’d ever looked into. It almost felt as if we were the only two people in the bookstore. And since my husband knows that I’m a chatter, he just moved down the aisle a few feet and got lost in the books.
I don’t remember much of what we talked about to be honest, I just know it was a fairly simple conversation about surface-level things. After about 10-15 quick minutes, I realized we had better get moving since my in-laws were watching our son and we’d been gone for close to 2 ½ hours already. I politely exited the conversation, telling him we had to get home but it had been nice speaking with him.
I’ll never forget the next thing that happened. I stuck out my hand to say goodbye. He shook it, and with a glimmer in his eye said, “It was so nice to meet you, Kara. And remember, it’s simple. It’s ALL about repentance."
I smiled and he turned to walk away. I looked away and when I looked back I couldn’t find him anymore in the bookstore. During our conversation I never once mentioned the book I was writing or anything about repentance, so I knew that something supernatural had taken place.
I believe that I was speaking to an angel that day. I never thought I’d say that because I wasn’t looking to speak to one and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to prove it. But the entire conversation felt surreal and his words have never left me. In fact, they’ve only grown stronger. They made me dig deeper into repentance and what exactly the Lord wanted me to share with others.
I already had a lot of the meat of the book written by the time I had that bookstore encounter, but I realized God may have more to say about repentance than I had given Him permission to speak.
So I started writing the book again, and the natural next question to ask God was, “Why is it all about repentance?” Obviously, there are so many things in the Christian life that we have available to us, such as forgiveness, provision, grace, love, the fruits of the Spirit, prayer, the gifts, heaven. So why did this feel like it was one of His top priorities?
When I asked the Holy Spirit what He specifically wanted to say to us about repentance, I’ll never forget what I heard. Immediately He shared with me that repentance was never just about Him, but that it has “always been about US.”
It was such a strong whisper, like a heart-cry from The Lord. The word “Us” landed deeply in my spirit. As His children, our relationship with God means everything to Him. It makes sense that this would be a top priority to God, because from the beginning He created us for relationship with Him.
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Relationship with God is the real reason for repentance. I used to think God got some sort of sick satisfaction from having us repent. As if He was saying, "I'm right, you're wrong. Repent!" But that just isn't the case.
Today, many people have run so far from Him, and He wants His children to come home. I'm not only talking about unbelievers who need to come to the Lord. I'm talking about wounded Christians who hide from God. If we hide the deep, personal places from the Lord, we are "protecting" ourselves from the only one who can help us.
My prayer for you today is to consider the love the Father has for you. He isn't distant and angry, no matter what life has taught you. No sin or issue that you struggle with can separate you from the love of God. God is love, and He cares deeply about having a close relationship with you. If you let Him come into the dark places and the pain, you'll grow and begin hating the sin as much as God does. This relationship will set you up to thrive in life.
Love,
Kara
To Read more, grab by book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Word-Unspoken-That-Propel-Destiny/dp/166785609X
To listen to a short interview about the R Word, go to https://fb.watch/rmCZNSolZY/
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