✨ Have We Been Repenting for the Wrong Things? ✨

Something has been shifting, and I want to speak plainly about it.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t shared Sage Sayings content in a while. It’s not because I’ve been quiet—if anything, God has had me writing more than ever. When He puts something on my heart, it pours out. There’s never a strategy behind it. It’s always Spirit-led obedience.

When I first published Sage Sayings & Slogans in the spring, I created a separate page out of sensitivity to the principle of anonymity in recovery. What I’ve learned is that anonymity is not about hiding; it’s about spiritual protection. It’s an inside job—a hedge against ego, image, reputation, and the subtle temptation to let our identity drift away from God. Hiding can be very ego-driven too because it’s still focused on SELF. 😉

There’s also been a fair amount of spiritual resistance in several forms, to say the least.

With that deeper understanding, I now feel complete freedom to share Sage Sayings content here, because the message is far bigger than me. Sage Sayings & Slogans is a gentle, daily reader rooted in the ageless slogans, and accessible spiritual truth for anyone recovering from anything—or anyone. And that includes almost everyone I know.

During August, September and October—which include the Jewish High Holy Days of repentance—God had me writing extensively about repentance, recovery, spiritual warfare, emotional healing, discernment, and spiritual formation. None of this was planned. I don’t outline seasons. I don’t build content calendars. I speak when God speaks, and the theme was unmistakable.

Repentance is not a niche topic—it is the heartbeat of the Christian life.

It is also the hidden heart of Twelve Step recovery: rigorous honesty, moral inventory, confession, restitution, ongoing self-examination, and total dependence on God.

This is not “self-help.”

It’s ancient Christianity.

It was the center of the Oxford Group—the movement that helped inspire AA. Pastor Frank Buchman’s own life was turned upside down through simple, unsparing repentance. His big spiritual barrier was pride and unforgiveness. That’s a pretty big net.

And Scripture speaks the same truth.

“Examine yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

This is not condemnation; it’s invitation.

It is the doorway to life.

The Psalms make the connection even clearer:

“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away… my strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.” (Psalm 32:3–5)

A lot of people today are hurting and don’t know why. They think it’s stress, or circumstances, or other people.

But spiritually speaking, unaddressed patterns, buried wounds, hidden resentments, and ongoing self-deception will make any soul sick. Not because God abandons us—but because we turn away.

Honest self-examination is not about shame.

It’s about healing.

As I bring Sage Sayings back, I want to weave in the deeper spiritual and historical roots that make it meaningful.

Sage Sayings was intentionally written with gentleness. It’s for the bruised and rebuilding. It’s for those who’ve been mishandled by systems, families, or churches. It’s for believers who love God but struggle with spiritual fatigue, confusion, or discouragement. It’s for people who have never been given a healthy language for repentance—one free of fear, shame, legalism, and performance.

And yes, it is also for people in recovery. Sadly, many churches still don’t know what to do with recovering people—except relegate them to the basement. But recovering people often carry the very honesty, vulnerability, and spiritual hunger that the whole Church desperately needs. Scripture certainly doesn’t divide sins into categories the way we do.

Some sins we condemn socially, others we celebrate socially—but God doesn’t see it that way.

All sin blinds.

All sin wounds.

All sin destroys.

And all sin separates us—not from God’s love, but from our willingness to receive it.

Modern day church calls to repentance remain offensively narrow, demonizing one sin while blithely overlooking others. And we can turn almost anything—doctrine, discipline, morality, even recovery—into an empty religion when God has always been after relationship.

This may not sound like a “Christmas message,” but I believe it is very Christ-mass: God coming near to save sinners who cannot save themselves.

Every one of us.

As I begin sharing Sage Sayings content again—alongside Waterworks, Recovery reflections, and the deeper Christian writing God keeps pouring out—my hope is to connect the dots more clearly: repentance, recovery, Scripture, emotional healing, spiritual formation, the early Church culture, and the remnant God is raising in this generation.

Something is shifting.

A remnant is awakening.

And if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re part of it.

God wants us free, and repentance is the key.

✨💖🕊️

You can find all my content at isabellacampolattaro.com.

#RepentanceAndGrace #ChristianRecovery #SpiritualHealing #EmotionalHealth #TwelveStepWisdom #SpiritualFormation