19 - Repentance

People fear what they do not understand.

I used to fear eating mushrooms before I discovered how wonderful they taste. I used to fear public speaking until I tried it—then I actually enjoyed it!

I used to fear repentance. I'm not alone in this. The very word seems to evoke images of guilt and suffering and anguish.

It shouldn't be that way. Repentance is wonderful. I've come to identify the word with another word I used to fear but now embrace: change. Isn't it amazing that we can choose at any moment to turn our lives around? And isn't it amazing that with concerted effort and a determined resolve to rely on the Lord we can actually change?

The Bible Dictionary identifies repentance with another word I love: fresh. Its description of repentance reads—

[D]enotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world.

Rather than inspiring feelings of fear, repentance should cause us to feel joy. Elder D. Todd Christofferson said—

[O]nly through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true celebration.

Because of the Savior's atonement, I can change and so can you. Change can happen in an instant.

And that's something to smile about.

MORE ONLINE
The Divine Gift of Repentance, Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Cleansing the Inner Vessel, President Boyd K. Packer
The Miracle of the Atonement, Elder C. Scott Grow