Pastor Brad & Repentance

Did Pastor Brad Repent for Dumping the Flyers He Did Not Deliver?

That is a fair question.

And yes, I did.

Not necessarily in a dramatic, fall-on-my-face-in-the-dumpster kind of way. But yes, I did repent.

When I told that story in the sermon, the point was not to glorify it. It was to be honest about the kind of corner-cutting that can begin in small ways, especially when we are doing something we do not enjoy and do not think really matters.

At the time, I was young, frustrated, and more concerned with getting through the job than doing it faithfully. And while dumping flyers may not seem like the most serious sin in the world, it was still a real moment of dishonesty. I was being paid to do something, and instead of doing it with integrity, I found a way around it.

That may sound small, but that is often how these things work.

Most of us do not wake up one day and decide to become people without integrity. More often, it happens in smaller moments. Moments where we justify, cut corners, or tell ourselves it does not really matter.

And that is exactly why repentance matters.

Repentance is not just feeling bad about something we did. It is agreeing with God about it. It is bringing it into the light. It is turning from it. And often, it is allowing even those smaller, unimpressive failures to teach us something deeper about our hearts.

So yes, I have repented of that.

And in God’s grace, I can also look back on that younger version of myself with honesty, humility, and a little bit of embarrassment. While also being thankful that Jesus does not leave us where He finds us.

That is part of the good news for all of us.

We all have stories that make us cringe a little when we look back. Moments we are not proud of. Ways we were immature, selfish, careless, or dishonest.

But those moments do not have the final word.

In Christ, even the parts of our story we would not choose can become places where His grace, conviction, and transforming work are seen more clearly.

So yes, I repented.

And I also suspect that if any of those flyer customers are reading this now, they may finally be getting some closure.