Repentance

Why, you ask have I been thinking about this? Simply because of an amazing lesson I had this past week. In the institute class that I am in we talked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ the other day. A major part of the atonement is our sins. Our teacher brought up the "parable of the vomit" as he likes to call it. Disgusting as it may sound, but an amazing revelation if you ask me. He asked us "what is harder...to confess or forsake?" Most of us responded forsake because it is a natural human experience to be hard on yourself and not forget things as the Lord does. However, he said when you are feeling sick and your stomach is really upset don't you feel a lot better after you vomit? You won't feel immediately healed thereafter, but you feel so much better! What an amazing thought! Just like feeling physically sick, when you are feeling spiritually sick we need to "vomit" to feel better. This may be confessing to the Lord or your bishop. And after you have done that you don't go out and eat a pizza. You usually eat soup or soda to calm your stomach and get stronger. The Lord or the Bishop will "prescribe" small doses of prayer, scripture study, etc to help you feel better slowly! I REALLY like this parable.

As I was thinking about this I also thought about what I have been doing the past two weekends: Weeding. First I went to Washington to spend time on a friends farm. Her Dad is a Pesticide Applicator to the crops of the surrounding area.

Secondly I have been spraying the weeds in our yard at least 3 or 4 times with Roundup to make it easier for me to weed when they die.

Both of these experiences made me think that a lot of times we try to "spray" the weeds to solve the problem when in reality it takes you actually pulling out the weeds to rid them. Sometimes there are areas were the pesticides don't reach and the roots of sin are still deep, as I found out while I was weeding. While spraying may help and can be done regularly it is the weeding that will uproot the sin. Through this whole process the "light of the Savior" is always shining on us. He loves us regardless of how we act, but we disappoint him when we sin.

My favorite scripture illustrates his love for us, in Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
(On a side note in Isaiah 53 it talks about how he bore our sins, but in Alma 7:12, it is the only place in the scriptures, that it appears, there seems to have been yet another purpose of the Atonement, speaking of the the Savior and his suffering.
-Elder Maxwell)