Repent. A wonderful word that is very difficult to define. One thing that cam be said is that we know it when we see it.
Repentance implies a turning away and a moving ahead.
When we find ourselves on the wrong end of the justice/injustice equation, or the peace and strife paradigm. We repent and turn towards the better way. For example, a greedy person comes to grips with their selfish hoarding and rather than just feeling bad about it, saying that they are sorry, something is done, something concrete and useful. Oh, and that’s the Kingdom by the way.
Sadly, repentance is never enough. Nor should it ever be believed that one can say or do enough of the right things in order to satisfy God. Remember, God in Christ is reconciling the world to himself.
We repent so to maintain the relationship. Not to make a relationship. God does that. We participate and then maintain.
Two taillights. Believe the Gospel. Repent. That's it. So simple. And so hard.