Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God.

(Acts 2:37­­-38 NLT)

I’d heard it a thousand times if I had heard it once.

When I wrote this in early 2024, a student’s way of saying “I’m sorry” was “My bad.” But I had been hearing this from one student for almost two years. I had recently moved him from his “special spot,” giving him a chance to rejoin the class. Yet, every time I turned around, he was either talking aloud or mumbling under his breath. I didn’t have to say anything to him, just look at him. And when I did, he would say, “My bad.”

One day, when he uttered his famous words, I stopped teaching and said, “You know when we say we’re sorry so many times but keep doing the same thing, the confession doesn’t mean anything.” Then I reminded the class about the fable of the boy who cried wolf.

The young lad thought it would be funny to trick the townspeople, so he ran through the streets, crying out that a wolf was chasing him. But when the people came out to help, they found no wolf. After several times of the boy doing this, the townspeople quit believing the young man. On one occasion, a wolf did chase the young lad, but no one came out to help when he called. My young student got the message.

The Day of Pentecost had arrived—the birthday of the church. God’s Spirit fell on the church leaders, allowing them to speak in the languages spoken by the various cultures visiting Jerusalem. When the people questioned what was happening, Peter told them about Jesus—how he had been crucified for the sins of humanity but how God had raised him from the dead. When they asked Peter what they should do, he told them to repent.

Repent carries the idea of reversing directions. Like turning around and walking in a different direction. Or putting a vehicle in reverse and backing up. Either way, we’re not going the same way we were. But repent deals with our moral fabric. The way we think and behave.

Before knowing Christ, we move away from him. But when we accept him as our Savior, we move toward him in a love relationship that changes how we think about him, ourselves, and others. The change in our thought process will bleed over into our actions.

When we say “My bad” to Christ, he expects to see a different us—perhaps not immediately, but at least a work in progress. If a new way of thinking and acting doesn’t happen, then our “my bad” doesn’t mean anything—like my young student’s.

Make sure your “my bad” means something in the spiritual realm and leads you in a different direction.

Prayer: Father, may my repentant attitude lead me in a different direction. 

Martin Wiles