Repentance: not a four-letter word.

     Repentance can sometimes seem like an ugly word.  Why does it scare us away? It was never meant to be a punishment.  It was a gift from our Heavenly Father.  Guilt and shame (and separation from God) are natural results that come when we disobey His commandments (a.k.a. sin.)  But repentance is the way out from that pain.  It is the solution.

"REPENTANCE... a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world."  - Bible Dictionary

"Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."  - Alma 36:21

Sometimes I think it can be hard to know what repentance should look like.  So here are some specific steps we can take to grow and change.  The six R's of repentance:

1. Recognize:  Before anything in our lives can change we must first be aware of what needs to change.  Life doesn't really fix itself.  If we aren't aware of what is wrong, we should start thinking and praying about it.  

2. Remorse:  Chances are that if we don't feel any kind of conviction for our behaviors, we probably won't stop doing whatever it is that we are doing (or we won't start doing what we should be doing...)

3. Reveal:  We must then take some time to talk to God.  We have to humble ourselves and come to Him, confessing our sins.  Ask for forgiveness and help to overcome them.  He already knows what we've done and how we feel about it, but He requires our humility. 

4. Restitution: Make amends in any way we can.  If we have harmed another, we need to make it right for them (not us) if we can.  It isn't about us having peace over the situation, it is about them.  If making amends hurts someone else we are doing it wrong.

5. Refrain:  We should forsake our sins:  Turn them over to the Lord and do them no more.  He has the power to help us walk away from the things Satan is using to pull us in.  If we humble ourselves and have faith in Him, He will turn our weaknesses into strengths.

6. Record:  Sometimes old feelings of guilt and shame will come up even when we have completely repented.  When the Spirit helps us know that we are forgiven, we should write down those feelings of peace, and do our best to remember what the Lord has already shown us!

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." - Ether 12:27

Through Jesus Christ we can accomplish the things that seem impossible.  He loves us more than we could ever know!  Don't lose hope!

One Day at a Time

     I've always been a daydreamer and a planner... I think about what happened yesterday, and I imagine what may come tomorrow.  But what about today?  What about right now?

                                              Learn from Yesterday.                                          
     Mistakes are inevitable.  I don't know about you but I do silly things every single day.  I make mistakes every day,  I snap at someone every day...  I'm far from flawless.  Sometimes the mistakes are ours and sometimes we get hurt because of someone else's choices.  Something I've learned though is that everything (and I mean everything!) can be turned around for the good.  Our experiences (both good and painful) are a part of the blessing that God has given us.  If we can help somebody because of what we have learned from our experiences, then we are growing and we can help someone else to grow (and it has become a good thing!)  We can't ignore our yesterdays.  We have to apply the lessons we've learned, to who we are now.


Make a Choice Today.                                                            
     Trials will always be a part of our lives.  But what will we do today to change things?  If we are dwelling on what happened yesterday, or on the things we want to come tomorrow, we will miss out on today.  Even if we dwell on the pain we feel right now, we will not only miss today, but we will likely feel no different tomorrow.  We have no control over anything in this world except for what we are doing in this exact moment!  What can I do in this moment to have a better life?  What can I do differently today?

Have Hope for Tomorrow. 
     We have no way of knowing what will come in the future.  But that doesn't mean we don't have consequences.  The choices we make today will effect us tomorrow.  When we make good choices today, we can count on good results.  We can have hope and faith that we will be blessed.  When we are surrounded by darkness, we can have hope in the light that is to come.  And our attitudes or our hope, can change the way that we feel and act today.


     Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all connected.  We cannot avoid any of them.  But if we take all three into our present, we will find growth in our lives.  Our hearts will change.
 “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach"  - Scrooge