1 Word Changed my Perspective on Death
17:05 Share

Tamara shares how she decided to dive deep on the the meaning of one word: repentance. This changed her entire perspective on death.

Episode Discussion Points

• I have two words I have never liked: repentance and death. They have a negative connotation in my brain. But all of this changed one day when I deep dived into what the original Hebrew and Greek words for Repentance meant (surprise: they don't have a negative connotation at all).
• Both the Hebrew (שׁוּב or shub) and the Greek (μετάνοια or metánoia) both really mean to turn or return to God.
• It is the Latin root word for repentance where the negativity comes into play. Poenitere: This word is related to the words punish, penance, penitent, and repentance. But this root word means hurting, punishing, whipping, cutting, mutilating, disfiguring, starving, or even torturing! Yikes! No wonder I don't like this word very much!
• As I studied this idea of returning my epiphany came. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, so we could give Him our sins and return to Him. Repentance is simply the process of removing anything that would keep us from returning--pure, clean and whole.
• No unclean or unholy thing can dwell with God, so that means we also have to give up our current physical and imperfect bodies for a perfect one at the resurrection. I had never thought of my body, as wonderful but flawed as it is, as something keeping me from the presence of God. But because it is imperfect, I need a resurrected body before I can return to God. Death is a step in getting me closer to God.
• How the seasons, universe, water cycle etc. all show us this process of returning or repeating over and over.
• Bible verses that go along with this concept

Transcription

You can read the entire transcript of today's episode here:

https://tamarakanderson.com/podcasts/1-word-changed-my-perspective-on-death)

#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #death #repentance #jesuschrist #bible