Repentance by: J'net Johnson

REPENTANCE Zion Narrows 1988 When we make mistakes and do the wrong thing Heavenly Father is not pleased with us (sin). Sin is disobedience to God’s commandments and results in becoming separated from God. God knows all that we do and think. I would like to compare sin or the bad things we do each day to a rock or a stone added to our back pack that we carry with us throughout our lives. Only through repentance can we remove those rocks from our packs. It weighs us down and limits our vision of what we can do in this life. In other words we don’t feel good about ourselves. When Grandpa was Bishop of the 5th ward we had the opportunity to back pack down the Zion Narrows with the youth. This was the first time I had ever had on a backpack and it was heavy and cumbersome. I would much rather ride a horse but horses couldn’t make the trip. The canyon was very narrow and in some places only 16 feet wide and 2,000 feet high. I knew that it was very beautiful but with the pack on my back I couldn’t lift or turn my head or body very easy. Three fourths down the canyon another canyon converged with the one we were hiking in. We took off our packs and proceeded up the new canyon. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE! I could actually look all the up, turn my head and my entire body around very easily. I have often thought how our backpacks full of (sin) or AKS rocks keep us from enjoying life as Heavenly Father wants us to. It leads to bondage and torment. Conclusion: Repentance is a continual & daily process. As we grow closer to our Savior, we will continue to improve ---developing Christlike qualities. •We will grow in knowledge •And we will want to show our love by obeying HIM •As we repent daily we will find that our lives will change & improve. •Our hearts & behavior will become more Christlike. •We will come to feel great joy in daily repentance.