A Lesson on the Principle of Repentance

I don't write much. I don't have many "followers" and I don't do a lot to promote this blog. But I still keep it because every so often, I have the need to share something with a wider audience than that which reads my journal (which consists of me). So for anyone who happens to read this, thank you!

Recently, my daughter and I went to the church to help with the cleaning assignment. We were a little late getting there and found that most of the things that are routinely done were being taken care of already. So I said that we would clean some walls. It was brought to my attention that there was some food that had gotten spilled on a wall in one of the classrooms. I went to clean it only to find that it had hardened onto the wall and I wasn't able to wipe it off easily. I sprayed the food with the cleanser and then went to find something I could scrape it with. That didn't work so well though because the razor blade I obtained was also scraping off the paint. So I sat patiently. I sprayed the food. Waited. Then wiped. It was a tedious process and it took a long time. As the food dissolved and I was able to wipe it away, little by little, I had time to ponder this process and my mind thought about the Atonement and what a great gift repentance is.

Just as it would have been easier to clean the food up when it first got spilled, so it is with our sins if we repent right away. The longer we wait, the harder it is. However, the healing power of the Atonement is like the cleanser. We must apply it and then let it soak into our souls. It may take time. More time than we would like. But the result is we are clean. The stain is removed. Applying the healing balm of the Atonement is the key. There are many in our lives who can help "wipe" the stain clean but we must first open our hearts to the Atonement and be willing to repent.