6 Things “Repentance” does NOT Mean

Posted by Andy Proctor × January 13, 2014 at 4:30 am

Repentance

I think most people don’t repent because they don’t really know what that word means. Well, here are 6 things that repentance does NOT mean. Too many people never experience the happiness that comes from repentance because they think THIS is what it DOES mean. With Inigo Montoya I say: “I do not think it means what you think it means.”

1. Unending Suffering

Repentance doesn’t mean that we will be suffering lashes forever. One of Satan’s big lies is that to repent of something, we will have to suffer and dig and gnash for an endless amount of time before we will finally be worthy.

This is NOT true!

How was Alma the older a wicked priest of Noah who spent his strength with harlots and taught that which was contrary to the law one day, and then 5 chapters later he was baptizing hundreds of people at the waters of Mormon? How was it that Ammon and the sons of Mosiah converted thousands of wicked Lamanites after being “the vilest of sinners” who were going about trying to destroy the church? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland clarifies this:

“You can change anything you want to change, and you can do it very fast. That’s another satanic suckerpunch—that it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change”—and mean it.” 1

That’s it. If you want to change, you can do it as fast as you decide to (and truly mean it). And if you truly mean it, you WILL spend the rest of your life as a different person. No suffering for an eternity of pains-taken “repentance mess” but constantly experiencing the happiness of a new life, forever. Indeed, Ammon and the sons of Mosiah spent the rest of their lives proving that their moment of “I change” was really what they meant. And they also spent the rest of their lives experiencing TRUE JOY. Just read Alma chapter 26 for an example.

Repentance doesn’t mean guilt and suffering forever. Repentance means choosing joy.

2. Isolation

This is what Satan wants. What does he say after Adam and Eve realize their nakedness? To isolate ourselves from God. To hide from Him. Why would we want to hide from God? If our heavenly Father is truly all-loving (which He is), then we NEVER need to isolate ourselves from Him. We only lose power when we withdraw from God. But He is there for the woman caught in adultery as well as for the Nephi. For Moses as well as for the vilest of sinners. We must come boldly to him whether we are tromping deep in the mud or high upon the mountain top of holiness. As Paul says:

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” 2

We are not to shrink and isolate ourselves in a time of need, but to go BOLDLY to the throne of grace in our time of sin – our time of need. Grace is not earned. Grace exists for those who DO NOT deserve it.

When you feel like isolating yourself from God…Go boldly to His throne.

3. Self Loathing

We are NOT to do what these silly monks did. No self flagellation. No self loathing. This is NOT repentance.

President Uchtdorf teaches this masterfully:

“The Apostle Paul taught that ‘godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation … but the sorrow of the world worketh death.’ Godly sorrow inspires change and hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Worldly sorrow pulls us down, extinguishes hope, and persuades us to give in to further temptation.

“Godly sorrow leads to conversion and a change of heart. It causes us to hate sin and love goodness. It encourages us to stand up and walk in the light of Christ’s love. True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment. Yes, heartfelt regret and true remorse for disobedience are often painful and very important steps in the sacred process of repentance. But when guilt leads to self-loathing or prevents us from rising up again, it is impeding rather than promoting our repentance.” 3

Remember who you really are. Remember where you came from. Love yourself first, then you will naturally change what you are doing.

4. Shame

Why is there so much shame in being honest about our imperfections? Why is it scary? Why can’t we be more open? Why is there shame in sharing about our eternal progress. If angels rejoice when we decide to repent, then why not everyone else?

In my elder’s quorum last week our lesson was on overcoming addiction. We were all given a copy of the 12 Step Addiction Recovery Program. We started reading it together as a quorum. At the end the teacher asked if anyone had ever used this program and would like to share an experience.

Silence…

Even more silence…

You know the feeling. No one wants to admit that they aren’t perfect or that they have ever had any problem with anything ever… Because everyone in every elder’s quorum and relief society is perfect. Especially returned missionaries. Right? Wrong.

Finally, a bold brother voluntarily shared his experience with this program. He wasn’t ashamed one bit. He had been addicted to pornography but had gone through the 12-step program to over come it. He powerfully testified how actually being honest with himself and going through the steps changed his life forever. It saved his marriage and it saved his life. The feeling in the room completely changed. The Spirit was so strong it was tangible. You could slice it with a knife. Then others started sharing and it became a brotherhood of love. It was a sacred experience that I will never forget. It was because one bold brother decided that it was not shameful to share the truth.

Don’t be ashamed to do something that will bring you closer to God. Don’t be one of those poor souls who taste the fruit and then walk away because they are ashamed from the pointers in the great and spacious building. Coming closer to God is NEVER something to be ashamed of.

There is no fear in love. For perfect love casteth out all fear. 4

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 5

5. Giving Sin all the Attention

There will be no survivors amongst those who constantly focus on the sin to get rid of it.

Imagine yourself swimming in the ocean saying to yourself:

Don’t think about sharks.

Don’t think about sharks.

Don’t think about sharks.

What are you thinking about? SHARKS! And it is probably paralyzing you from actually focusing on swimming to safety. Even if the sharks are all around you, you still need to focus on the way out, not the sharks themselves.

Focus on the highest in you. Don’t focus on the sin. What has your attention, has you. True Repentance does NOT mean focusing on the sin.

Elder Packer said that instead of focusing our attention on the sin or the unwanted behavior, you focus the attention on doctrine and truth:

“The study of doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior.” 6

Let us follow Gordon B. Hinckley’s advice and “stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.” 7

6. Lack of true Conversion

It’s like Mr. Lewis says. We can’t go on being eggs forever. In his words:

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being an ordinary decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” 8

Without true conversion, we stay at the egg level. We must be hatched. We must progress. We must learn to fly. We weren’t born to stay eggs. We were born to fly. Elder Marion G. Romney taught about true conversion:

“Converted means to turn from one belief or course of action to another. Conversion is a spiritual and moral change. Converted implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his teachings but also a motivating faith in him and his gospel. A faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one’s understanding of life’s meaning and in his allegiance to God in interest, in thought, and in conduct. In one who is really wholly converted, desire for things contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ has actually died. And substituted therefore is a love of God, with a fixed and controlling determination to keep his commandments.” 9

Desire for things contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ has actually DIED. Wow. You not only want to discontinue any misdeeds you have been doing, but you desire to completely eradicate from your life all other things contrary to the gospel.

Take flight with true conversion. Take flight with true repentance.

***If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others and subscribe to the free newsletter. And to never miss a post.

1.Jeffrey R. Holland. BYU Devotionals, “For Times of Trouble.” March 18, 1980. ↩
2.Hebrews 4:16 ↩
3.Dieter F. Uchtdorf. “You Can Do It Now.” Click here for the full talk. ↩
4.1 John 4:18 ↩
5.2 Tim 1:7 ↩
6.CR Oct 1986, 20 ↩
7.Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled. BYU Devotional, Oct 1974. ↩
8.Mere Christianity p. 198 – 199. ↩
9.Marion G. Romney. Conference Report, Guatemala Area Conference 1977, 8–9. ↩

Read more http://www.thereturnedmissionary.com/6-things-repentance-does-not-mean/

Protect the Family

Even if one has never had to directly deal with or experience pornography in their life, does not always mean one won’t have to deal with the affects of pornography at all.

Elder Lynn Robbins quoted, “Pornography damages individual lives, families, and society.” In other words, it doesn’t matter what age as specified in this article, religion, race, gender, rank, and even at what stage in life one is in. The spirit of pornography will take anyone who allows it, or is in its path. Elder Robbins concludes, “Church members should…oppose its production, dissemination, and use.” That also means to me to be informed, to be aware, and to understand the affects it has on society. Pray a day, to get rid of, and keep porn away.

Jamie is 13 and hasn’t even kissed a girl. But he’s now on the Sex Offender Register after online porn warped his mind…

By John Woods

PUBLISHED: 17:06 EST, 25 April 2012 | UPDATED: 01:20 EST, 26 April 2012

Jamie was ten years old when he saw his first pornographic sex scene. During a sleepover, a classmate offered to show him ‘some funny pictures’ on his laptop.

‘At first I found it a bit scary and a bit yucky,’ Jamie told me as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair during our therapy session.

‘I didn’t know it was possible for people to do those sort of things — and there were lots of nasty close-ups. But it gave me funny feelings and the pictures started to stick in my head.’

Porn: Jamie watched his first pornographic sec scene when he was aged just 10 – and he became hooked (file photo)
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Porn: Jamie watched his first pornographic sec scene when he was aged just 10 – and he became hooked (file photo)

For the next three years, while his parents assumed he was using his computer for his homework, Jamie visited porn websites for up to two hours a night.

Even when his school performance began to suffer, they had no idea of the murky world their shy, quiet son was inhabiting while upstairs in his bedroom.

While it’s not his real name, Jamie is typical of the young men I meet. He explained: ‘The websites led me to other websites and soon I was looking at even weirder stuff I could never have imagined — animals, children, stabbing and strangling.

‘I stopped leaving my room and seeing my friends because when I was away from the pornography, I was dying to get back to see what else I could find.’

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And it was only when the police came knocking one morning that Jamie’s secret life was exposed.

After identifying that someone in the house was accessing child porn, they took Jamie’s laptop away for examination. Jamie is only 13 — and he still hasn’t even kissed a girl, let alone had sex.

Though he is only a child himself, the result is that he has been put on the Sex Offender Register, blighting his life for the foreseeable future.

Even with intensive therapy, Jamie still suffers from deep shame — ‘as if it is written across my forehead’ — which has led him to fear he will never be able to form a healthy relationship with a woman.

Unhealthy habit: But Google executive Naomi Gummer claimed the extent of youngsters’ exposure to internet porn had been exaggerated
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Unhealthy habit: Jamie is only 13 and is a porn addict. There are many teenagers like him (file photo)

As he told me at a recent session: ‘It still makes me think I might never have a proper girlfriend — because the pictures still come back to me sometimes. It make makes me want to shout, “Stop, stop.” But sometimes they still won’t go away.’

Jamie’s story is not unique. He is just one of the growing number of young patients referred by social services, youth offender services and police to the Portman Clinic — where I work as a psychotherapist. I would never normally consider speaking out in this way. But after much thought, I have come to the conclusion this is no longer just a private problem. It is a public health problem.

For the past 70 years our services, which are part of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, have been available to anyone who has committed any kind of offence.

But an increasingly large part of our caseload is taken up with young people whose behaviour has become out of control due, largely, to compulsive internet porn use.

This year alone, this has included 50 referrals of children under 18, and that’s just for North London, where we are based.

Yet even though we are one of the very few units in the country dealing with these issues, funding cuts mean mental health services are having to make drastic efficiency savings that significantly reduce our service.
Supervised internet use: Boy and father using laptop together
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Supervised internet use: Boy and father using laptop together

Our patients are the young people for whom seeing thousands upon thousands of sexually explicit images is still not enough.

I regularly see boys as young as 12 who have convictions for looking at child porn because they did not realise they had crossed the line.

I also treat children who are so frustrated at being unable to live out their fantasies in everyday life — and so confused by the message of endless sexual availability on the web — that they have committed rapes or sexual assaults.

Another example would be Paul, 12. He has been referred to us because his obsessive sexual viewing habits have now spilled into the real world.

At school, he has been repeatedly exposing himself to teachers and other pupils in lessons.

And, at home, his appalled mother has found him walking around the house naked in a constant state of sexual excitement.

Another case is Andrew, aged 13, who was referred to the clinic because he has been abusing his five-year-old half-sister. Due to his two years of constant porn use, he has built up a complex fantasy world — so it was no big step for him to try to involve her.

Our research at the clinic has found that although the internet doesn’t create these problems, it can release interests which would never have surfaced otherwise.

Without virtual pornography, it’s my belief that Andrew would not have acquired his compulsion to abuse, let alone dreamt up the idea of involving his sister.

One of my regular patients, Jude, was referred to me at the age of 18 by social workers who were concerned that years of web porn use had not only made him socially isolated but a danger to others, too.

Safe: The main mobile phone operators implemented the technology to filter most pornographic and other adult-only content eight years ago

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Safe: The main mobile phone operators implemented the technology to filter most pornographic and other adult-only content eight years ago

When a girl he liked did not return his feelings, he told me: ‘I feel like stabbing her.’ He also threatened to kill himself because he felt he would never be able to have a normal relationship, and admitted he liked ‘seeing women being hurt’.

A particular scenario he enjoyed thinking about was a man grabbing a woman’s throat and punching her in the face.

Chillingly, he had already taken to following women late at night, and maintained he would become more of a risk to them if he was forced to give up watching porn.

All these cases are only the tip of the iceberg. For every young person who has come to the attention of police or social services, there will be tens of thousands more who manage to keep their habit under wraps — but who still face long-term consequences for their mental and emotional health. After all, we are rearing a guinea pig generation — a generation of boys and young men raised in a world where internet porn is freely on offer at any time.

Of course, critics who oppose restrictions will say pornography has always been with us; young boys have always looked at risque magazines.

Yet the advent of the internet — and particularly broadband over the past decade — means that never in human history has such a vast and relentless amount of it been so easily and freely available to all.

‘Our research at the clinic has found that although the internet doesn’t create these problems, it can release interests which would never have surfaced otherwise.’

According to a cross-party parliamentary report, published last week, the scale of the exposure is so vast that four out of five 16-year-olds regularly access porn online — while one in three ten-year-olds has seen explicit material.

It means any child who has started to feel vaguely curious about sex can tap that same three-letter word into a search engine, and in a split second have access to thousands of graphic video clips.

As a therapist, I am convinced that these images can be deeply traumatising to children — not least because a competitive market means that pornographers are trying to outdo each other to come up with the most extreme images.

This contest to push the boundaries means that straight intercourse is considered too boring. Images of brutal anal sex and women being humiliated and degraded by two or more men at any one time are the new norms.

For many young boys, this means their first sexual experience is not a nervously negotiated request for a dance from a girl at the end of the school disco. It is watching grotesquely degrading images of women, all too often mixed in with violent abuse.

But because most parents are so uncomfortable with a child’s developing sexuality, few warn them about porn before they see it — or can face up to the fact they might be watching it. As a result, children don’t know that pornography is fiction and they naturally assume it’s what grown-ups do. Because it’s freely available, they think it must therefore be OK.

But once these brutal images have formed a child’s first sex lesson, in my experience, they can be difficult to erase. The more hardcore the material, the more intense and long-lasting the effects.

Of course, a lot will depend on the particular vulnerability — and developmental stage — of the child. But, inevitably, some of the kids who regularly see such scenes will become conditioned to being aroused by only the most extreme practices at a critical state of their sexual development.

‘The advent of the internet — and particularly broadband over the past decade — means that never in human history has such a vast and relentless amount of pornography been so easily and freely available to all.’

Instead of seeking out meaningful, romantic relationships, voyeurism may also become their substitute.

Many of the boys I treat stop going out and seeing friends, and drop out of school because life seems easier and more gratifying in front of a computer screen.

I have treated patients who can easily spend up to six hours a day compulsively viewing porn.

Research by the Oxford University neuroscientist and former director of the Royal Institution, psychologist Susan Greenfield, has found that intense internet use alters brain chemistry, encouraging instant gratification and making young people more self-centred.

It has also been linked to mental disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, and, once addiction takes hold, young people’s lives can become seriously derailed.

Evidence has found they become more prone to ‘real world’ violence, and less able to emphathise.

Adult images: Middle class children often have computers in their rooms – allowing them to view anything without their parents realising

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Adult images: Middle class children often have computers in their rooms – allowing them to view anything without their parents realising

What’s more, it is also from porn that boys are forming their views of what women should look like, and how they should behave sexually. I hear young boys routinely refer to girls as ‘bitches’ who need to be dominated.

They bemoan the fact that they can’t go out with ‘real’ girls because they ‘want things’.

In other words, females who exist outside of cyberspace have needs of their own that boys resent having to consider.

But there are also worrying signs that girls’ behaviour is also being affected. Although almost all my patients are young males, one of them is a 15-year-old schoolgirl, who was referred to the clinic after posing for explicit images.

While it is true that children in families with weak parenting and fewer boundaries are more at risk, the therapists at our clinic also see plenty of youngsters from well-off, middle-class families.

In studies, these are the youngsters more likely to have computers in their rooms, who have more advanced skills with which to navigate the internet, and who are most likely to own smartphones — from which internet sex can be easily accessed.

One of my patients, the son of a wealthy businessman, had his A-level year wrecked and only narrowly escaped prison after he felt compulsively drawn to tracking down the most extreme sexual practices he could find.

Again, the family — who had no idea of their son’s activities — received a knock on the door from police who had discovered that child porn images were being accessed by someone in their home. They seized every mobile phone and computer in the house.

With so much pornography use among our children, it may seem astonishing that most parents simply have no idea of what their children are doing.

‘One of my patients, the son of a wealthy businessman, had his A-level year wrecked and only narrowly escaped prison after he felt compulsively drawn to tracking down the most extreme sexual practices he could find.’

Yet most remain in denial, despite the fact that the largest consumer group for internet pornography is children between 12 and 17.

In my experience, even savvy mums and dads can be terrified of laying a single finger on their child’s computer — for fear of breaking something, ‘messing it up’ or invading their offspring’s privacy.

But the reality is that leaving children to their own devices is no better than letting your child cross the road wearing a blindfold.

In the Seventies and Eighties, parents were urged to ask: ‘Do you know where your child is?’

The urgent question parents should now ask is: ‘Do you know where your child is going online?’ because, in my view, where they wander on the web is potentially more dangerous.

Parents must wake up to the fact that they need to regain their authority — and not be scared of laying down controls.

But it’s never going to be possible to apply filters to every smartphone — or every computer your child uses. This is where the internet service providers must come in.

MP Claire Perry and her parliamentary colleagues want the internet service providers to make porn something you have to opt in for — not something that is automatically available on your computer whether you want it or not.

After all, when magazines were the main way for people to access porn, our society never allowed them to be legally sold to minors.

In our culture, drink and cigarettes are also banned from sale to children because we know all too well the harmful effects.

As a therapist, I believe the internet has now been around long enough for us to see the toll that unregulated sexual imagery is having on our children.

Young people may become child-abusers while they are still children themselves.

Boys and young men may come to prefer simulated sexual relationships with porn stars rather than real women.

I have counselled enough damaged children to know that just as our society protects them from booze and smoking by imposing age limits, the time has now come for us to protect them from web pornography, too.

The names of patients in this article have been changed, and their identities disguised.

Interview by Tanith Carey

The Simple Things

Sometimes its the simple things that are hardest to do. I think we can all relate to that. However, the increased faith we receive is amazing when we choose to challenge ourselves with the simple things such as immersing ourselves in scriptures. I definitely believe, and support this simple message.

Staggering Statistics on Abortion

More Americans were killed through abortion than died in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam and Gulf War combined.

Abortion Statistics

Preparation Proceeds All Things

All things take some kind of prepping, right? What would happen if we didn’t prepare? The children’s song says, ” I am a child of God, And so my needs are great; Help me to understand His words, Before it grows too late.” (301) As we know all too well what usually follows are things such as running out of time, and generally a lacking in something. As part of our journey to being prepared in all things, or at least the things we need work on the most. There is of course one of the most important thing we should prepare for, and that is to prepare to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. I am so grateful for these lessons the children in our church learn about. They are just wonderful reminders, and the real chicken nougats to our soul.

Lamb and Lion

On speaking about Christ metaphorically as both lamb and lion. Lion is used in scripture to metaphorically describe people in scripture both in negative and positive ways. Christ is the lamb of God because he died for our sins (John 1.29), he is gentle, and obedient. The lamb part of Christ is grace, forgiveness, repentance, innocence, and it represents the Atonement which when he was brought before wolves (Luke 10.3), He was slaughtered to death saving all mankind by the innocence of his blood. Christ the lamb equals the Atonement.
Lions are strong, with courage (prov 28.1),and have the power to devour. The lion part of Christ represents His judgements on mankind for killing the lamb by sin. Sin is like killing Christ and when we sin, it is like killing Christ all over again. Sinning is more real to Christ than just a metaphor, and because of his love he gifted us repentance and judgements. Some may not see His judgements as a gift, but if we understood them we would realize he is saving us from the pit (Isa. 38.17) by giving us his law. Love the exodus of Moses, Christ delivered the house of Israel from the Egyptians in this way. His lion side fought their war for them and he gave them his law to protect and guide them.
The moral to this all is my strong feeling about how we should look at Christ. He is both lamb and lion. I know many of us including myself only like to talk about the lamb of Christ, his atonement, and focus on that part. However, I realize when I do that…I am not looking at Christ as a whole. He is also lion. His judgements are apart of Him and His purpose also. I feel we must speak out, stand up for Christ as a whole. We cannot afford to leave out the lion part of Christ and vice versa. True conversion is understanding Christ as the lamb and the lion. God bless.

The Time Is Far Spent

Messages around the world from good christian fearing people are that we are on the mercies of Heavenly Father’s time. Latter day Saints have known this, and I like this song from our hymn book which depicts the coming of time and says, “The time is far spent; there is little remaining To publish glad tidings by sea and by land. Then hasten, ye heralds; go forward proclaiming: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven’s at hand, Repent for the kingdom of heaven’s at hand (hymn 266, d&c 33.2-10, matt 3.2).
I understand the message to this song to be about missionary work and a call for all to repent. The questions that come to me though is, are we concerning ourselves with missionary work less these days? Are we less concerned about repentance, and more concerned about looking like a christian? Of course these are personal matters that no one need concerns themselves over. However, the message is a firm one and a good reminder that in comparison to the Lord we will always be accountable to Him, we will always be guilty as long as we live on this earth. It is never too much to be called to do what He knows will help us return to Him.

Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin

Although impossible for humanity to love perfectly, Heavenly Father showed us how to love when He sent His Son Jesus Christ (John 3.16) and made it His great commandment to follow His example (1 Kings 8.61). To love is to first believe in Jesus Christ because it’s only through Him we can receive His perfect love. I believe the scriptures help to understand many ways to love others, one being to refuse to take part in the sins of others, and secondly to condemn them from our own lives rather than the lives of others unless we are one given authority to do so. This helps us focus on our own repentance process, in which it shows Heavenly Father we are not taking our sins lightly, and which then reflects Christ like example of love to others. We also love others by being faithful, and showing forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ. Even though difficult to do, I think a true act of love is treating others with respect and kindness even though they might know we don’t approve their lifestyle and or choices. But, I also believe it is not loving to allow someone to remain stuck, and with careful guidance of the holy spirit, we might be able to encourage one how to unstuck themselves in ways also provided by Jesus Christ. It is not hateful to tell a person he or she is in trouble in matters that involve us, if we can carefully avoid discouraging them from moving forward. In other words, we love the others by speaking the truth in loving ways. We hate the sin of others by refusing to condone it, or take part in it. It’s pertinent that we always pray about any situation we are found in concerning these issues, and if we make mistakes along the way which is inevitable, we can take the advice from Jesus, repent and continue to learn to love others as Jesus loves us. God bless.

Key to Being an Example

Not to make any excuses for imperfections, I really liked this insight on being an example whether to children, friends, neighbors, spouses, and so on. The key to example is personal integrity. The example of an honest parent humbly struggling to live the gospel can greatly influence children. Despite what we might think, children are not discouraged by imperfect parents. In fact, parental honesty, along with parental repentance, is important. A parent who admits his own wrongs and honestly strives to overcome them is trying to become perfect. His honest behavior invites his children to be honest. Parents who honor the covenants and promises they make with God and me teach integrity to their children. Elder Andersen reminds us of Mormon 9.31, “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection,…but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” (Family Home Evening Resource Book)

Repenters versus Complainers

A wall just hit it, a wall just hit, a wall I hit it.  Sometimes I wander why I keep hitting the same wall at the same exact place and than expect to have different or better results?  Some people have labelled that insanity, some say well that’s stupid, and some say oh well better luck next time.  When I hear these kind of comments, it just shows me how far reached some people are at seeing that they too like anyone else does this at one point in time or another.  So it is true with complaining.  The kind of complaining I’m speaking about is the negative kind, the kind that won’t let the sun shine and the rain drops fall.  I’m sure we have all experienced it.  Most importantly, I wanted to touch on what real results we get from it, and here it is…wait for it….it’s coming…and it’s…pure nothingness.  So it seems real weird to me now than why when I look back at the times I do these things,why?  The scriptures aren’t unaccustomed to complainers and complaining, nor is Christ unfamiliar with it.  The people of Moses began complaining about Moses even after God delivered them from slavery and parted the red sea (Ex 15:23; 16:3).  The Jews complained at Jesus (John 6:41).  Laman and Lemuel in the book of mormon were infamous for complaints against their younger brother Nephi (1Nep 2:11-12)…and so it is with us today.  Our resulting in pure nothingness can cover many things, the one I’m thinking about is when we begin to bulk to doing things our own way, and I think Christ sees it as when we do our own will not his.  That’s when repentance comes in, a change of scenery, the sun shining and when we finally let the rain drops fall.  The results are a hundred to none.  The bulking is moved down the isles to the unpackaging area.  Repenting clearly wins. Let’s be a repenter, not a complainer.  Christ needs repenters on his team (Luke 15:7). God bless us, amen.