«Repent!» — But how to do it? Here are the three steps to repentance.

You can often hear the question: how to come to repentance?

It needs to understand that repentance is not an instantaneous status but the result of big efforts and work during a long time. It’s impossible to repent sincerely having not made first some steps, decisions and not changed yourself and your model of living.

The repentance is an award. It’s the grace of God to all of us for our wish to be better.

The way to repentance consists of few stages.

The first one is the honest diagnosis to yourself. The absolute frankness is needed here: it’s confession of your faults, passions, and decision to take the responsibility of yourself and life, instead of putting it on somebody’s shoulders. The repentance begins with seeing yourself without exaggeration and palliation.

The second step is fighting against laziness and fears. When we realize our imperfection, when we see no end of work, we often backpedal, make off, try to move away from the work. We do not want to work hard offering excuses that somehow I’ve been living, so I’ll continue further.

Maybe, it’ll be the most difficult, critical moment to make yourself to work hard for your soul. We’re ready to work our backside off for material benefits but we’re lazy to lift a finger for our own soul. Lent, praying, commiseration, conscientious resistance to evil and aiming for goodness are regular spiritual exercises.

And the third step is the credence to the God’s will. Have done our utmost we must commend ourselves to God. And He will give us the repentant feeling changing our soul and life.