Repentance/Atonement

With Easter approaching and General Conference I have side stepped my regular scripture study and instead have been concentrating on the last week of the Saviors life and articles about the Atonement. Last night (Tuesday) I celebrated passover with my Jewish friends and again was reminded of the great symbolism. It is always a great experience but this year I knew it would most likely be my last with Alison, unless by some stroke of fate we end up living near each other again, so it was extra special. I don't have the pictures from Alison's camera yet but I will post them later in their own post.

It is cool that Passover and Easter are on the same week this year, sometimes it works that way but most years it hasn't. As I have been reading in the New Testament about the Saviors last weeks I have gained a even stronger appreciation for all that happened that week - the accusations, the parables, the Last Supper, Palm Sunday, etc.


In the Ensign this month there is a talk by Elder Oaks about the Atonement and Faith, here is a link to read it if you want.

I thought I would share a couple of quotes that were really good. He states: "We cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord's will in the Lord's timing. As a result, no matter how strong our faith is, it cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him in whom we have faith. Remember that when your prayers do not seem to be answered in the way or at the time you desire. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security and serenity in our lives."

I really liked this analogy - he is talking about why it is important that we suffer when we repent.
" Why is it necessary for us to suffer on the way to repentance for serious transgressions? We tend to think of the results of repentance as simply cleansing us from sin, but that is an incomplete view of the matter. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin, If we focus only on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bed and soil its leaves may remain. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened. " It seems that with those sins that I easily seem to repeat it is because of this - I just haven't ever thought about it like this. True change and repentance takes time and effort - something that seems to be overlooked in lessons about how to repent.

He says " I conclude with a message of hope that is true for all but especially needed by those who think that repentance is too hard. Repentance is a continuing process needed by all because 'all have sinned, and com e short of the glory of God'. Repentance is possible, and then forgiveness is certain."

I am grateful for repentance - because I am so far from perfect. I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the opportunity we have to celebrate his Life and Resurection this Sunday while listening to the modern day leaders instruct us.