Repentance is not a backup plan; it is the only plan. “Wherefore, teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence.”34
I remember in my teenage years when I first began to understand the powerful words of King Benjamin: “I would that ye should remember and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures.”35 He referred to us as being in a worthless and fallen state. He asked, “Are we not all beggars?”36
With reflection, I found his teachings convincing. He explained: “[God] is preserving you from day to day by lending you breath that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another.”37
I thought, “It is true that my ability to breathe, to live and move my body, and to do according to my own will, does not come from my own accomplishment, but is given to me as a gift from God.” I compared it to a very young child eating at his parent’s table, not realizing the efforts necessary for his parents to provide food each day.
King Benjamin added even more reason to appreciate our dependence on our Father. He speaks of “The Atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord.”38 Accepting King Benjamin’s admonition to “repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you”39 brings you closer to God. And then this piercing message of truth: “And now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.”40
I absolutely know that repentance is necessary for all of us, and for all of our lives. Our faith in Christ and our willingness to follow Him bring us hope, peace and love for God and for His children. We need not feel discouraged when we sense our spiritual progress seems too slow or when we continue to see the weaknesses in our character. We must never become “weary in well doing.”41 “Be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down to death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.” Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”43 ~Neil L. Anderson, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 79-71.
