So we may feel pangs of remorse, weep over what we have done, declare we are the worst sinners, and…continue to stay like this doing nothing to change anything about it. And we’ll remain unhappy & sinful.We may just say:
“Depart from me; for I am a sinful man”. And repeat to anyone we meet how sinful, stupid & bad we are, losing ourselves in verbiage…which will be a false humility if we don’t reinforce our words with real steps to change for the better.

The other way is to leave everything & follow Christ. And it means repentance God calls us for – to inherit His Kingdom.
“And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him”. What I like here also is succession of these actions, and it always made me wonder how right & wise it is, and that it’s impossible to be vice versa! They had accomplished what they had to do, carefully & attentively completed their duty. Then they left everything – very quickly, without hesitation!, and only then they follow Christ. It’s impossible to follow Him, having heavy luggage, impossible to take with us to Heaven our wordly interests & burdens, impossible to be with Christ truly without self-denial…

It requires us courage & much self-denial to admit that we are sinners, but that we are not trash, meaningless creatures, unable to do anything well & thus shrinking our responsibilities under this pretext…but we are Cod’s children, called by Him to be the salt of the world, to carry His light to people. I remember I read that one pious priest, schema-archimandrite Ioann (Maslov) said to his spiritual daughter: “be a burning candle, so that those who are cold could warm up near you”.