I’m a sinner. Nothing news worthy there because everyone sins. However, I find myself having to repent every day, and not just once, but multiple times.

When I do a self-assessment, I often find myself going through the commandments, and I can sound a bit like the young man in the Bible who asked Jesus what he needed to do to enter Heaven.

In the story, Jesus listed some commandments that must be obeyed, and the man said he had accomplished them. Then Jesus told the man to sell his possessions and use the money to help the poor (Matthew 19:16-21).

My self-assessment often sounds like this: I haven’t killed anyone. I haven’t stolen a car or a horse or even a candy bar. I don’t dishonor my parents — I even pray for my remaining parent a lot. I do not take the Lord’s name in vain. I don’t commit adultery or covet anything my neighbor has — I love my spouse and am happy with what God has given to me. I even give to the poor and support local charities.

But, now I see some problems creeping in. I honor God so have no graven images at my house or idols or even much TV (just in case), but what about my obsession with my iPhone? I better repent, just in case. I don’t lie to people or bear false witness, but maybe I present the truth in some of my stories to make me sound like I am better than I am — probably a sin, right? So now I repent.

I keep the Sabbath holy, but I don’t always go to church — I definitely need to repent here and do better. So what is the mind-blowing truth? Certainly not that I sin because the Bible says we all sin (Romans 3:23). The mind-blowing truth is this, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8, NIV).

That is the mind-blowing truth. God loves me and you, even while we sin, and He has made a way that we can repent and be forgiven. And, not only forgiven, but also relieved of the burden of our sins so we don’t have to carry a heavy load of guilt and depression with us every day. Amazing! This mind-blowing truth simply takes my breath away. He loves me enough to die for me.

We are entering into the season of Easter. It’s a time to honor God and celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. If you haven’t yet accepted that free gift of forgiveness and if you haven’t experienced the freedom that repentance brings, I recommend you visit one of our local churches this coming Easter Sunday and learn about the mind-blowing truth of Jesus’s death and resurrection and about the salvation He provides to all the people, like me, who need it.

Patricia Jones is the executive director of Love INC of the Yampa Valley. She can be reached at loveincpat@yahoo.com.