The Repentant son (Two Sons Matthew 21:28-32)

The Repentant son (Two Sons Matthew 21:28-32)
Sometimes as parents it is hard to tell if you are hitting the mark when it comes to raising your children. I mean you should not have to tell someone a thousand times to stop doing the same thing over and over but sometimes that is the way it is. Yet there are some moments as a parent when you look into their little eyes, and you realize that they understand and that they are truly sorry for what they did. These moments are the ones that let you realize that you are doing something right and that they have a repentant heart when they make mistakes. Jesus tells the story of a son who is asked of His father to go and work in the field for the day, and he immediately told his father no. After thinking it over and realizing what he had done, the son repented of what he had done and went and worked in the field as the father had asked. His heart convicted him of his actions, he decided to do what was right, and he followed through with that decision with his actions. The son repented and got back on the right path of obedience.
Repenting is not an easy thing to do because it means that you must admit that you were wrong and someone else was right. The term repent means to “think differently, or to change one’s mind or purpose.” True repentance is not temporary, it is a permanent change. There are times that we must explain to our small children that saying your sorry is not enough, you must show someone you are sorry by never doing it again. This is what God wants from His children, the humility to admit they was wrong and the perseverance to get on the right path and say that they are never going to look back. A repentant heart realizes that their sin has separated them from God, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to restore what they have destroyed. With a broken heart and contrite spirit (2 Corinthians 7:10) they cry out to God to help and with outstretched arms God receives them back into the fold. This is only made possible by Jesus Christ who gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world so that we could be reconciled with the Father.