What’s on Your Mind?

I’ve never done anything really bad. Do I still need to repent?—Uncertain in Udine

Dear Uncertain,

Everyone needs to repent, because no one is perfect! Repenting can be as simple as praying to Heavenly Father about how your day went and telling Him how you want to do better tomorrow. We ask Him for forgiveness when we’ve done something wrong, and He forgives us. Some people think repentance is a scary thing. But it’s a happy thing! Repentance is a gift that Jesus Christ gave us so we can learn, grow, change, and become more like Him. President Nelson says that we should repent every day. As you do, you will feel more peace and power in your life.

With love,

The Friend

Try this!

You will need:

table salt

black pepper

plastic spoon

towel

Pour some salt onto a plate. This represents how we are pure and clean before we sin.
Sprinkle a little pepper on top of the salt. This represents the wrong choices we make.
Now take the plastic spoon and rub it on a towel.
Move the spoon slowly above the salt and pepper. The pepper will stick to the spoon! This is like being forgiven when we repent.

Like the spoon taking away the pepper in this activity, repenting can make us clean from the wrong choices we make every day—big or small. Because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, all of us have the opportunity to repent.