While we may not have murdered anyone, committed adultery or robbed a bank, how about those "little things" that are so easy to justify?
Have we ever stood in line at the grocery store and noticed the overweight woman in front of us and counted the calories in her basket?- When friends are chatting about someone and we realize we saw him doing something he shouldn't, do we change the subject from gossip, or do we tell what we saw and escalate the discussion?
What about the divorced woman who was excommunicated years ago? Do we take her a paper plate of Christmas cookies, smile at her and say, `Hello, how are you doing?" Do we see only the child of God she is, as Jesus Christ would have us do? Or do we keep our distance, avoiding her eyes as we pass on the street, teaching our children not to play with her children, and take the cookies to someone who can heighten our own social standing?
We are all imperfect beings; but we have been commanded to repent. From Adam to ourselves, this commandment has never been revoked. We need to spend time on our knees every day asking forgiveness of all those little things we do or neglect to do that add up over time and erode our spirits.
"And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold ye have the commandment before you, and the law is fulfilled." (3 Ne. 12:19.) - Kjirstin Youngberg, Mapleton, Utah
What we did:
Improve our hearts
Repentance also concerns our attitudes, rather than just our performance. The teachings of Christ, particularly in 3 Nephi and the Sermon on the Mount, direct us to improve our hearts. I have pondered the scripture, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." When we are merciful and forgive others, we will receive mercy and forgiveness, and faith enough to repent. I try to retain the spirit of sincere, honest, faithful prayer, night and morning.
It helps me to view repentance not just as sorrow for wrong-doing, etc., but rather as a "fresh view about God, about oneself and about the world." This is part of the definition in the Church's Bible Dictionary. Daily we can "turn our hearts and wills to God," renounce the natural inclination to sin and thereby make eternal progress. - Mary Jane Fritzen, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Stop, look, listen
I can use the principle of repentance daily as I recognize that little irritations and problems are giving me the opportunity to see my weaknesses and change them into strengths. I use the watch words Stop, Look, Listen to help this process.
For example, a person does something that causes me to feel irritated and annoyed. Stop! I have just recognized my spirit - irritated and annoyed. Now I can change to a spirit of peace and calm - repent.
Look to heaven. First, I ask Heavenly Father to forgive me for feeling irritated and annoyed. Second, I forgive that person. Third, I forgive myself for taking offense and feeling irritated and annoyed. Then, I ask Heavenly Father to bless me with a calm, peaceful spirit. Finally, I express gratitude for my blessings.
Listen for the Holy Spirit to direct my words and actions to do something. Repentance is not complete without restitution. This shows obedience and is an exercise of faith.
Miracles happen when we choose to have a humble, kind, peaceful, forgiving spirit. This happens daily as we choose to repent of our weaknesses and not take offense. - Janet J. McKeon, Santa Clarita, Calif.
Pray often
Prayer is one of the keys to living the principle of repentance each day. The Lord told us we are to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit and that takes humility. One way to stay humble and to remind ourselves of the principles of the gospel is prayer.
Prayer puts us in the attitude of remembering our Heavenly Father, of remembering promises and principles of the gospel. Prayer is absolutely necessary. Joseph Smith talked about repenting daily, not to do it casually but with real intent. It's hard to do that if you don't have the right spirit with you, and prayer puts you in that spirit. I don't know of anything else that will put you in that spirit in quite the same way. I think that's why we're told in the scripture to pray often. - Mark and Michelle Waite, Peru, Ind.
Take the time
I'm a mother of six, and I guess time is always a major factor to me. The first step of repentance is to recognize the sin. Sometimes, we're so busy we don't slow down to think of what we're accountable for, such as being selfish or impatient in the grocery store line. Sometimes, just in our every-day situations, we can be discourteous. We need to slow down and really think about our actions and our behavior.
The way to do that is to pray each morning and ask Heavenly Father to help us to have a repentant, tender and humble heart. We should also ask for the Holy Spirit.
In Mosiah 3:19, we read: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." - Rebecca Lamb, North Port, Fla.
Repent daily
Ether 12:27: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble."
Daily we need to repent of our weaknesses. While partaking of the sacrament, the Lord will show us what we need to change in our lives. We need to tell Him what we improved last week and ask what we need to work on during the coming week.
The Lord concluded Ether 12:27 by saying, "For if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." - Gwen Sutton Robinson, Newdale, Idaho
How to checklist:
Seek contrite spirit through daily prayer; be humble.
Seek `fresh view' daily of God, oneself and world.
Recognize sin; take time to gauge actions, thoughts.
Ponder your life while partaking of weekly sacrament.
WRITE TO US:
Dec. 28 "How to maintain hope in the midst of affliction."
Jan. 4 "How to apply in one's life the legacy of faith as found in the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history."
Jan. 11 "How to enjoy the blessings of the priesthood without a worthy priesthood holder in the home."
Jan. 18 "How to discipline your children in a positive manner."
Jan. 25 "How to magnify your Church calling."
Feb. 1 "How to make your spouse a priority despite a busy family life."
Also interested in letters on these topics: "How to be more patient with your children," "How to foster positive communication in your family."
Had any good experiences or practical success in any of the above subjects? Share them with our readers in about 100-150 words. Write the "How-to" editor, Church News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110, send fax to (801) 237-2121 or use internet E-mail: Churchnews@desnews.com. Please include a name and phone number. Contributions may be edited or excerpted and will not be returned. Due to limited space, some contributions may not be used; those used should not be regarded as official Church doctrine or policy. Material must be received at least 12 days before publication date.
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