Tag Archives: Repentance

RS/EQ: Repentance

Our lesson for Relief Society and Priesthood this past Sunday was #5 in the Joseph Smith manual, entitled, “Repentance.” We begin with a reminder of the incident with the missing one hundred and sixteen pages. After asking the Lord three times and receiving two no’s, Martin Harris was allowed to take one hundred and sixteen pages of the translation home with him. Joseph didn’t feel good about sending the pages, and to compound his anxiety, the very next day Emma gave birth to a baby son, who died immediately. Emma herself was very sick and nearly died. Wracked with guilt … Continue reading →

How Sin Affects Our Self-Esteem

Even when we’re trying to be righteous, little sins, and sometimes not so little sins, can become a problem. Whether it’s a one-time thing or an on-going cycle, we are affected in a multitude of ways. We stop feeling happy. Our tempers grow short. We feel guilty. We try to avoid any conversations that might link back to the sin we are seeking to hide. Until we repent and forsake the action, we feel miserable. We can’t feel good about ourselves and yet guilty at the same time, and in this way, sin robs us of our self-esteem. When we … Continue reading →

Heavenly Father: the True Judge of Repentance

In Doctrine and Covenants 64:8-10, we read, in part: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you, it is required to forgive all men.” I’ve puzzled over this scripture for a long time. Why is it that the Lord gets to pick and choose who receives forgiveness? Hasn’t He promised that if we’ll repent, He’ll forgive? This scripture sounded to me like He was going to go through and say, “I’ll forgive you and you, but not you.” As I posted this afternoon’s blog on President Kimball’s feelings toward repentance and pondered this scripture again, suddenly … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: Forgiving Others with All Our Hearts

Lesson #9 in the Spencer W. Kimball manual this year is entitled, “Forgiving Others with All Our Hearts.” President Kimball emphasized that, as we seek forgiveness from the Lord for our sins and trespasses, we must also be willing to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It doesn’t matter if they are truly eager to be forgiven – we have to forgive them and move on, or we will never find peace within ourselves. Directly quoted from the manual: “A common error is the idea that the offender must apologize and humble himself to the dust before forgiveness … Continue reading →

By Man Least Understood – Derek G. Rowley

“By Man Least Understood” by author Derek G. Rowley is an LDS doctrinal book that takes the principles of repentance, agency, restoration, atonement, and the everlasting covenant and breaks them down into smaller steps, with supplementing quotes and scriptures to illustrate each one. A former bishop and high councilor, Brother Rowley uses his insights into the principles of the Gospel to help the reader more fully grasp the incredible gift that is ours as given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We begin with a look into the fruit of repentance. Before we can embark on a … Continue reading →

Forgiving Yourself

When it comes to forgiveness, we often talk about forgiving others. This is an important and essential thing to do. It is not always easy to forgive others if they have wronged us. Forgiving others brings a release and a sense of peace. It can be even more difficult to forgive yourself for mistakes that you have made in the past. It can be difficult to find peace after you have felt true remorse for the mistakes that you have made. The Atonement allows you to find true peace as you forsake your sins. It can help you to change … Continue reading →

Repentance

Over the past week I have spent a great deal of time cleaning out a closet in my home. In this particular closet I had stored several years of clothes for my children. I spent the time sorting through the boxes, organizing them and giving away the excess I had accumulated. As I finished up the job today, I felt a great deal of satisfaction, and peace because I knew that I had completed a job I have been putting off for over a year. I also though about how much this cleaning was like repentance. As I addressed the … Continue reading →

RS/EQ: “A Willing Mind”

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As part of his teachings on forgiveness, President Kimball frequently taught the concept that we must forgive to be forgiven. In a previous blog, we have discussed why the Lord might make it so. However, as I have studied the concepts of forgiveness, I have always wondered what I would do in a truly terrible situation. I have four small children. I think I could forgive any harm done to me, be it injury of the physical or emotional kind. However, as I look at my little ones, I wonder if I would be strong enough to forgive anything done … Continue reading →

Young Women: “Remembering, Repenting and Changing”

In her talk “Remembering, Repenting and Changing” Sister Julie B Beck speaks to the Young Women of the church. She opens the talk by sharing the stories of three women. The first story is about Ruth May Fox, a former Young Women general president. She came across the plains. She had a quick temper when she was young, but was able to change as she worked on it. The next story is about a woman named Mary. She decided to ignore the counsel to not drink coffee, deciding it didn’t hurt anyone. She raised ten children, only one of which … Continue reading →

The Atonement and Forgiveness in Marriage

There will come a point in your marriage when you end up fighting with your spouse. There may be a time when your spouse does something that may hurt you deeply and may make it difficult to trust him. It is important to realize that forgiveness is essential in any marriage. When members of the church get married, we do so with eternity in mind. Can you imagine being married and holding a grudge for all eternity? Your marriage will not last that long if you decide to hold on to past feelings of hurt and anger. Even if you … Continue reading →