Repent ye, repent ye!
We seem to hear that a lot, but what does it mean? How do we repent? What is repentance?
First of all, raise your hand if you are perfect. (Put your hands down.) (Now.)
News Flash: NO ONE IS. Even missionaries! Everyone does things every day that we probably shouldn't do. Sometimes they're really bad mistakes, but usually they're pretty small, like a biting remark, a lack of patience, accidentally hitting your companion in the face...regardless of what it is, sometimes we can become overwhelmed by the little mistakes. Sometimes we feel like we just aren't enough. Like we cannot become any better than we are now...
WELL. THAT'S WRONG. Isn't it wonderful?? We can CHANGE!
Simply put, repentance constitutes a change in our nature. It is the only way we become more like Christ. But how do we do that?? There are certain steps that we need to take in order to really repent. I'd like to illustrate the steps of repentance through a story (not at all dramatized) from my childhood.
Background information: Ritz crackers are super delicious. Salty, buttery goodness...it's pretty much portable happiness in a plastic sleeve (The Temptation.) They also make great snacks for when you are watching TV in your mom's room (The Sin.) I would know, since I got into that habit when I was little (The Bad Habit.) My joy was short-lived, however, when my mother, tired of cleaning up crumbs, forbid me from eating crackers in her room anymore (The Warning.) A few days later, I was still enjoying the crackers in my mother's room in front of the TV while she did some yard work outside (The Ignorance.)
(Now for the illustration of the steps of repentance:)
1) Recognize
Suddenly, I hear the front door open. Mom is coming inside earlier than I had planned. I look at the Ritz cracker in my sweaty little palm and realize that I have committed a grave error which might have consequences contrary to the happiness I thought it would bring.
2) Regret
Then comes the swoop of fear and sadness completely overtakes me. I know what I've done is wrong, and I wish I could go back in time to happier days when I sat at the counter to enjoy my snacks. I am suddenly repulsed by the thought of eating another cracker. I hear footsteps coming down the hallway.
3) Forsake
Never wanting a cracker again, I shove the box under my mom's bed. (Oh, the logic of 5 year-olds.)
4) Confess
This part is hard. My mother enters the room, and I sit innocently staring at the TV screen. She grabs something from her bathroom, and I fight the urge to blurt out my shame, but alas, my mother has found what she needed and makes her way back down the hall. All of the sudden, my guilt overcomes me, and I bolt up, run to the door and shout after my mom, "MOM. I am...NOT eating crackers in your room!"
(Quick Tip: in the actual repentance process, it's probably better to just say it how it is.)
5) Restitution
I've been found guilty, and my mother returns to discover the cracker box carefully shoved underneath her bed. Mercifully, she still lets me live in the house.
(At this point, I have no idea what actually took place after, so I will just concoct a few more scenarios that could have possibly [probably didn't] happen in order to fully explain the steps of repentance.)
I vacuum the carpet. I vow never to do it again. I apologize to my two little sisters for the bad example I have set for them.
6) Forgive
In order for me to receive forgiveness, my mother tells me that I must first forgive my little sister for eating Oreo's in my bed the other night. I must also be kinder to my friends and family, more understanding that we are all imperfect and all make mistakes.
7) Accept
I accept that I have been forgiven. I move forward with my life, learning from the past but not dwelling upon it, with a new brightness of hope for the world and for all humanity.
Repentance, people! It is amazing. Although this is a bit of a silly example, I really have felt heavy burdens lifted through these simple steps of change--repentance--throughout my life. Especially in the last year! I want nothing more than to become like my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that we can feel His love and forgiveness (which is all that really matters) if we strive every day to REPENT and USE this gift He has given us!
Wherever you are in the process of these steps, KEEP GOING! Christ knows your weaknesses, He's familiar with your trials, but more than anything, HE SEES YOUR POTENTIAL!
CHANGE A LITTLE EVERY DAY!
