The thief on the cross had no time to fix anything and was still promised paradise. Grace doesn’t need a long résumé.

Hours from death, a man could repair nothing he had done, and the answer he got did not depend on repairing it. Whatever you make of the story, the shape of it is clear: nothing was required beforehand. That is uncomfortable for anyone who assumed acceptance is earned in instalments. There is no accumulation period to get through first.

If you are waiting until you have improved enough to be worth something, notice that nobody set that bar but you. Try starting from the other end this week. Behave as though you are already in and see what that does.