As an occupational therapist (OT), it’s my job to gather information through an evaluation and then use that information to treat the patient. When I began occupational therapy school, I definitely would not have told you that doing an evaluation was why I wanted to be an OT. Of course not! Rather, what I wanted to do was to be working with the patient and seeing them improve. Through the years, it has become much easier doing an evaluation and much harder figuring out what to do with the information. Often times, I prefer to do an evaluation rather than a treatment. Why is that?

Interestingly, I find similarities between the above example and my dealing with the sin in my life. As Christians, we are called not to stop at conviction or even the owning of sin. Matthew 3:8 says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Often times, I find myself going through the motions with repentance. I pray things like, “Lord, please forgive me for going so long without spending time with you.” The Westminster Confession of Faith states, “Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man’s duty to endeavor to repent of his particular sins, particularly.”

Rather than just ask for forgiveness for my lack of repentance, I am trying something much more difficult. “Lord, I have seen my sin, but I have not been repenting. Many times I don’t because it seems too hard or too time consuming, and my fear of losing time for the grind of life has made me distant from you. Lord, will you grant me forgiveness from this?”

Interestingly, as I repent particularly, I am finding the Lord give me peace from those sins and a clarity in moving forward from them.