Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk from “Repent . . . That I May Heal You”, given during the Saturday afternoon session of conference was a great resource for me the past several days.
“The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to “re-turn” toward God.”
“Divine forgiveness is one of the sweetest fruits of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing them with joy and peace of conscience.”
“Sometimes in our repentance, in our daily efforts to become more Christlike, we find ourselves repeatedly struggling with the same difficulties. As if we were climbing a tree-covered mountain, at times we don’t see our progress until we get closer to the top and look back from the high ridges.”
As women, we are so prone to guilt, to self-doubt, and to damning ourselves in our own minds. I wonder how often this simple doctrine of repentance, when used sincerely and regularly, could purge us of that heaviness and literally lighten our souls, our outlook, and our understanding of our standing before the Lord.
As for my own challenge this week, I had to pray my way through it and then have a nervous-stomach, heart-pounding conversation and apologize for my mistakes. Anyway, the whole drama is not the point, but I just wanted to testify that prayer works. And priesthood blessings. I knew I was heard, and I knew I was not left alone in solving it. I could feel that Heavenly Father understood my heart, but that he also wanted me to acknowledge and change some things. He was so nice about it, but it still hurt a little, as all stretching does. But there’s a new lightness and hope after He helped me understand it better. It’s the beginning of learning process for me.
You can read the talk here, or listen to it here, or watch it here. Then please join us in this discussion:
1. How do you apply repentance to the small, daily struggles and details of your life? In what ways have you noticed that it makes a difference?
2. This talk was specifically about repentance, but what does it help you learn about forgiveness?
3. Elder Andersen said, "Our weekly taking of the sacrament is so important." How can we make that ordinance as meaningful and effective as it can/should be?
