Repentance is An Intimate Affair

"In this crucible of confusion, I learned something important. I learned the first rule of repentance: that repentance requires greater intimacy with God than with our sin. How much greater? About the size of a mustard seed. Repentance requires that we draw near to Jesus, no matter what. And sometimes we all have to crawl there on our hands and knees. Repentance is an intimate affair. And for many of us, intimacy with anything is a terrifying prospect."

 - From Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield

(Italics added by me for emphasis)