Repentance Is Joyful!

By President Dallin H. Oaks

First Counselor in the First Presidency

Adapted from “Cleansed by Repentance,” Liahona, May 2019, 91–94.

Repentance is a joy. It is an important part of God’s plan. We all need to repent.

To repent, we must begin with faith in Jesus Christ. We must forsake our sins and confess them. This means recognizing we did wrong, saying sorry to those we hurt, and choosing to make better choices. We should also partake of the sacrament each Sabbath day.

When we repent, we will be clean. The Lord promises that He will “remember [our sins] no more” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:42). What a promise! What a miracle! What a blessing!

Our loving Savior opens His arms to receive all who repent and follow Him.

Clean Again

Do this activity to help you learn about repentance!

Fill a clear container with water. Then drop some rocks and dirt in the water. This represents the wrong choices we make.
To become clean again, we need to stop doing what is wrong. To represent this, take the rocks out of the container. How does the water look now? Is it still dirty?
To fully repent, we need Jesus Christ. We need to have faith in Him and His Atonement. Hold the container of water under a faucet. Let clean water run into the container until all the dirty water splashes out! This represents the power Jesus Christ has to help us become clean.