Repentance Is a Gift

I think sometimes it’s easy for young adults to believe that repentance is a scary thing. It’s true that it can be scary to admit what we’ve done if we’re afraid it means a loss of love from people we care about or from our Heavenly Father. With that view of repentance, we might be tempted to confess “just enough” to pass what feels like a test to move up to the next level. However, I have learned through my experiences that that’s not what true repentance is like. Repentance isn’t always comfortable, but if we understand how much the Lord loves us and wants to help us, the fear melts away as we exercise our faith in His ability to make us clean. I’ve learned that as I exercise my faith in Christ through repentance, my past mistakes don’t have to define my present or my future (read more in my article on page 70).

In digital-only articles, Evita points out that true repentance brings us gratitude for the Savior and His Atonement and gives us strength to resist future temptation. Leah adds that we don’t even have to wait for the sacrament on Sunday—turning to the Lord through repentance each day gives us power to break even small habits that take us away from Him. And if we do make serious mistakes, Jori’s story of her unplanned pregnancy and Jessica’s story of coming back to the gospel teach us that repentance can help us understand the Savior’s love for each one of us.

Repentance is a gift that I’m grateful to have in my life. God knows that we’re human and that we make dumb choices sometimes. As imperfect as we are, there’s hope for us. If we put our trust in the Savior, He will walk with us on the road back to our Father in Heaven—however long it takes.

Cheers,

Richard Monson