Repentance and Conversion

My thought on Elder Nelson's talk "Repentance and Conversion"
Elder Nelson, oh, one of my favorites!

After Elder Uchdorf’s talk on returning to God’s presences and then to read of this young girl’s story, even the little Elder Nelson gives us. HOPE! HOPE! HOPE! I think this is a cousin linked hand in hand with faith.
The first principle of the gospel is faith and then second is repentance. Elder Nelson tells us so well about being converted through repentance.

I love the repentance process and use it often when I get the flippant answer “I’m sorry” (say that with a teenage-know-it-all attitude). I point out that if they were truly sorry they would “forsake” their sin, but we are back again discussing what they were once “sorry” for doing and yet, the cycle starts all over.

But let’s not just pull motes out of their eyes; let’s look at us for the beams. OUCH!

The D&C 68:25 scripture he quotes is one of my favorite and use it often when eyes roll to the back of the head when we talk about behavior and other such problems that crop up in my family. I warn my children that I’m not going to let them get away with what they know is right and I’m not taking the fall for their sins and misdeeds. Of course the eyes still roll, but they have yet to overcome the “natural man” (of course I’m still overcoming her too).

Elder Nelson does something I love to do and that is get to the root of the word. Because these are translated scriptures we can sometimes go to the original word (well as close as we can get) and see what was really written. As I’m learning from translating Portuguese, not all words translate well and sometimes the meaning is lost because of sayings and culture.

So repent means to change; change our minds, knowledge and spirit. Cool thinking. Which brings us to Alma 5:14 the “change of heart” stuff; which reminds me about a broken and contrite heart. Those things are needed for true repentance and true conversion.

Again the fruits (I love fruit) are sweet.
“Repentance is the Lord’s regimen for spiritual growth.”

Here is a great cycle—instead of a cycle of sin, a cycle of happiness: “A repentant soul is a converted soul, and a converted soul is a repentant soul.”