Before I left on my mission I was working with my Branch
President to resolve a couple of transgressions. I did what I needed to do, and
left on my mission. I’ve since worked with my bishops to repent of various
things that come up, but it wasn’t until this past Sunday that I fully
understood repentance.
Imagine, if you will a gorgeous home with a beautiful white
carpet that you swear twinkles silver in the right light. One day, you come
home from a hunting trip and forget to take your shoes off as you sneak in late
at night. The next morning you hear a wail coming from the hallway. You run out
to find your wife staring at the muddy, maybe even bloody (you were hunting, right?)
boot tracks going from the garage, into the kitchen, to the bathroom, then right into the bedroom.
You made a mess, and it has to be cleaned!
In the traditional view of repentance you clean the boot prints,
maybe even hire a professional carpet cleaner, or even replace some carpet! The
problem is taken care of, and you vow to never come inside with muddy boots
again.
Call it revelation. Call it actually reading the manual, but
this last Sunday I had a spark of personal revelation about repentance that
makes it so much more than spot cleaning.
Chapter 19 of the Gospel Principles Manuel outlines the
repentance process, and goes a step further than the tried and true final step
of repentance, which is to “NEVER DO IT AGAIN.” Under the subheading, “We must
keep the commandments of God.” It reads, “To make our repentance complete we
must keep the commandments of the Lord. We are not fully repentant if we do not
pay tithes or keep the Sabbath day holy or obey the word of wisdom. We are not
fully repentant if we do not sustain the authorities of the Church and do not
love the Lord and our fellowmen. If we do not pray and are unkind to others, we
are surely not repentant. When we repent, our life changes.”
So, going back to our example, when we choose to clean the
carpet and never bring our muddy boots inside again, to be truly repentant, we
don’t only get those carpets spotlessly cleaned, but we work to keep the rest
of the house clean as well. We vacuum the floors, clean the bathrooms, and dust
the house. And not just the one time! We keep the house clean, and continually
work to make sure it doesn’t fall into a state is disrepair. It is no longer about filthy boots, it is about our beautiful home.
Knowing this, I can look back on my life and see that I’ve
never truly repented. Sure, I’ve improved my life overall, and I’ve made a lot
of good choices, but I don't think I've ever become a "new creature” in Christ. (Mosiah 27:26, 2 Cor 5:17) I still
have a long way to go. Now, it is my duty to clean my own proverbial house, and
to keep it clean. I must learn to be Christlike to others, better keep the
Sabbath day holy, watch my language, and a score of other things.
What it really comes down to is following the Savior's admonition found in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Only then can we become new men in Christ.
