Just a quick thought that occurred to me earlier in the week. It’s a little bit about repentance, but really it’s just about change.
The Bible Dictionary states that repentance “denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined….Repentance is not optional for salvation: it is a commandment of God.”
In pondering this, two other scriptures came to mind:
And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
Mosiah 5:2
As well as:
And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
Alma 41:11
I know this isn’t really new knowledge, but it’s something that hit me in a different way this week. Repentance isn’t about punishment or “paying a price” for our sins. We know that Jesus Christ has already done that. Repentance is about us realizing the impact of that Atonement, and acknowledging its role in our lives. Repentance is about us recognizing that there is NO OTHER WAY to true joy and happiness other than the great Plan of Happiness! If we wish to become perfect, and live a PERFECTLY HAPPY LIFE, like our Father in Heaven does, we must learn to live LIKE HE LIVES.
Repentance is about seeing that there is something more. That we have the potential to become something more than we currently are. Repentance is about a desire to progress, a desire to improve. Repentance is about hope. It is about faith in Jesus Christ. It is about opening our eyes to the wonderful possibilities for which the Lord is preparing us. 🙂