Point of Safe Return

my thought on Elder Uchdorf's talk "Point of Safe Return"

I’m not sure why I remember this talk. It could be Elder Uchtdorf’s accent, or the fact that we have discussed this in RS and had the High Councilman speak on it recently, but I like this talk. It just felt good. Some make you squirm, but this talk just warmed my heart.

It is so full that I’m not sure where to start so I will start at the beginning.

I love the words he uses from the scriptures to tell us who Satan really is. I know I wouldn’t want that kind of person as my friend and confidant. Satan truly does want us to believe we are a lost cause and too many of us believe that. He twists and turns words to fit his agenda.

BUT there is hope. Hope from and in our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are never so far away from our base that we cannot return home safely. This is truly a message of HOPE!

“Following this plan has beautiful eternal consequences for us individually, for our families, for generations to come, and even for generations who went before. The plan includes divine reconciliation and forgiveness.”

In a stake conference that was broadcast from Salt Lake a few weeks ago, one of the speakers reminded us about the 13 Articles of Faith and the 10 commandments and how we needed to commit them (or recommit them) to memory. Our family is doing just that. Of course my older boys have them memorized but my younger ones (still in primary) are trying hard to learn them. Of course #2 is the easiest. Elder Uchtdorf reminds us that this statement of belief is truly the key for us to remember and call upon the Atonement to save us. “The Atonement of Jesus Christ causes each person to be accountable for his or her individual sins. We will overcome the consequences of individual sin by claiming the blessings and benefits of the Atonement.”

“True repentance, however, is the condition required so that God's forgiveness can come into our lives.”

Here comes the whopper of a question: So then how do we teach such deep doctrine to our children when we are still struggling with this doctrine?

True repentance is something I believe we as Saints want to believe we do but fall short of the mark way too often. I also believe that the Lord knows this and makes up for it most of the time as the sins aren’t grievous and He knows we are learning and that each time we repent we get closer to the mark of true repentance. I believe that is truly why we are here: to get closer to the mark each day. When we can finally say what Elder Uchdorf says, “True repentance brings us back to doing what is right. To truly repent we must recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow, and confess those sins to God. If our sins are serious, we must also confess them to our authorized priesthood leader. We need to ask God for forgiveness and do all we can to correct whatever harm our actions may have caused. Repentance means a change of mind and heart—we stop doing things that are wrong, and we start doing things that are right. It brings us a fresh attitude toward God, oneself, and life in general.” Then we have true repentance.

I know for one that I’m not there yet with a few of the sins I have. I continue to say I’m sorry, but then emotions and feelings crop up and I’m back at the beginning. I feel like that worm in a whole that goes up 2 inches and then back 3. I get to see out of my hole but my feelings and emotions pull me back into it.

I love the fruits of forgiveness that he gives us. We get His peace and our guilt and sorrow are lifted. “Once we have truly repented, Christ will take away the burden of guilt for our sins. We can know for ourselves that we have been forgiven and made clean. The Holy Ghost will verify this to us; He is the Sanctifier. No other testimony of forgiveness can be greater.” I guess that is when I will know my repentance is total. I also think I need to read Pres. Kimball’s book. I have it, but I haven’t felt impress to read it yet.

Now the hard part; extending forgiveness! OUCH! I honestly believe this is one of the hardest lessons for me to learn. Maybe that is why I’m not feeling those fruits Elder Uchdorf talks about: peace, guiltless, God’s love.

“Each of us is under a divinely spoken obligation to reach out with pardon and mercy and to forgive one another. There is a great need for this Christlike attribute in our families, in our marriages, in our wards and stakes, in our communities, and in our nations.”

OH, if only the world would live this!

And what a call to repentance “Lip service is not enough.”

I guess I know what I need to personally work on and then maybe it will trickle down. This week, I will try harder and harder to practice forgiveness. It won’t be easy and it will probably be the hardest thing to do, but I will try.