The Healing Power of Repentance

The weather this past week in Tennessee has been wonderful! It's hard to believe that 10 days ago it was 105 degrees with 90 percent humidity. Now I'm enjoying 70 to 80-degree weather with substantially lower humidity.

Sin, like humidity, makes us feel bogged down and discouraged

As I've reflected on how much I'm enjoying this mild weather, I've gained a deeper understanding of how uncomfortable heat and humidity can be. I feel like a weight has, quite literally, been lifted from my shoulders.

In this sense, the oppressive Tennesean humidity is comparable to sin. When we sin, we feel bogged down, discouraged, heavy-hearted, depressed. Initially, we may not even know why we feel this way. By carefully analyzing our lives, however, we will discover that negative feelings are often the result of sin. One cannot do wrong and feel right. Book of Mormon prophet Alma taught, "Wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10).

We can overcome the undesirable consequences of sin through sincere repentance. Just as changing weather patterns lifted the invisible burden of humidity from my tired shoulders, sincere repentance lifts the often unseen but onerous effects of sin from our weary souls. Repentance requires recognition of wrongdoing, feelings of sorrow, confession, restitution and forsaking of sins. (Learn more about this topic by reading two earlier blog posts, Godly Sorrow and The Joy of Repentance).

When we sincerely repent, we can feel God's love for us. He loves us in spite of our sins, but we alienate ourselves from His love when we sin. Joy and peace are promised to those who repent of their sins. A repentant Alma described his feelings this way—

And oh, what joy and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

Yea, I say unto you...that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. (Alma 36:20-21)