Today I read Colossians 2. I have been thinking recently how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be summed up in a few thoughts. And lately one of those main thoughts has been on my mind a lot lately. It is essentially the main message every prophet of every age has talked about: repentance. If there ever was a word that has gotten a bad wrap, it's definitely repentance.
People hear the word repentance and they automatically start wiggling in their seats. This is possibly because we have all sinned and have all fallen short of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone one of us are imperfect and so we all have cause to repent. But truly repentance is a blessing, a gift from Heavenly Father. Without it we would all be doomed and would be completely unable to return to live with Him. Repentance is a tender mercy.
As seems to always be the case on Sunday's our Elder's Quorum lesson today was about repentance and was based loosely on the talk that Elder D. Todd Christopherson gave in the October 2011 General Conference. It got me thinking about repentance and how we know we have repented. It made me think about the effects of sin on us and the effect of repentance on us as people. It made me think about the story about the painting of Leonardo Di Vinci's Last Supper. He found someone to pose for the Savior because they had a truly beautiful face, unmarred by the cares of the world. Sometime later as he was about to finish the painting he needed someone to pose for Judas and he found someone in prison who had a truly terrible countenance. As the story goes, after he was done painting the face, the man broke down and told Leonardo that he was the same man that posed for Jesus. No one truly knows if this story is true or not, but the basis for it is true. Our lives are written upon our face. When we do something wrong or morally depraved, it shows on our countenance. The story of The Picture of Dorian Gray is about this very principle.
Likewise, if we choose the right, even after living a life that is questionable, it is possible for our countenance to improve. How do we know if someone has truly repented? How do you feel around them? How do they act? Do they act like someone who has had a change of heart? Do they act like they have no more desire to sin or do that which is wrong? Do they look like someone you can trust? There is a reason that most people trust their first impressions, you can tell a lot about someone from their face and their countenance. There is a line in the movie the Fellowship of the Ring that I have always liked. The hobbits have just met Aragorn and aren't sure whether to trust him or not. Frodo decides to trust him by saying "A servant of the enemy would look more fair, but feel more foul". And he's right. You can disguise your appearance, but if you are doing things that are not right, you cannot disguise the lack of the Spirit around you and how you make those who have the Spirit feel when they are around you.
We are meant for greater things. We are meant to be Gods and Goddesses one day. Can we fulfill this destiny if we are not living a good and righteous life? Repentance is possible, but it is difficult, both for the one doing the repenting and the ones who love them and watch them. If you've ever had to watch someone repent of a serious sin it breaks your heart and you long to help them but you can't. It's something they have to go through on their own. You can support and uplift, but ultimately, they have to work on it alone, just them and Jesus. But despite how hard it can be to repent, it is better than the alternative.
No one forces us to repent. It is there for us to use or not at our discretion. If we choose to repent however, we allow the Spirit to work in us and change our very nature so that we can become one more step closer to Heavenly Father and becoming perfected. I am very grateful for a loving, forgiving God who allows us to repent. Until tomorrow.
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