[Tough Grits]

James A. Cullimore, “Confession and Forsaking: Elements of Genuine Repentance,” Ensign, Dec 1971, 85

President Harold B. Lee has expressed this so beautifully:

“That confession must be made first to him or her who has been most wronged by your acts. A sincere confession is not merely admitting guilt after the proof is already in evidence. If you have ‘offended many persons openly,’ your acknowledgment is to be made openly and before those whom you have offended that you might show your shame and humility and willingness to receive a merited rebuke. If your act is secret and has resulted in injury to no one but yourself, your confession should be in secret, and your Heavenly Father who hears in secret may reward you openly. Acts that may affect your standing in the Church, or your right to privileges or advancement in the Church, are to be promptly confessed to the bishop whom the Lord has appointed as a shepherd over every flock and commissioned to be a common judge in Israel. He may hear such confessions in secret and deal justly and mercifully, as each case warrants. … Following confession, one in sin must show forth the fruits of his repentance by good deeds that are weighed against the bad. He must make proper restitution to the limit of his power to restore that which he has taken away or to repair the damage he has done.” (Youth and the Church [Deseret Book Co., 1970], p. 99.)

Lesson 12: Repentance,” Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3, 42

“The mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to call people everywhere to repentance. Those who heed the call, whether members or nonmembers of the Church, can be partakers of the miracle of forgiveness. God will wipe away from their eyes the tears of anguish, and remorse, and consternation, and fear, and guilt. Dry eyes will replace the wet ones, and smiles of satisfaction will replace the worried, anxious look.

“What relief! What comfort! What joy! Those laden with transgressions and sorrows and sin may be forgiven and cleansed and purified if they will return to their Lord, learn of him, and keep his commandments. And all of us needing to repent of day-to-day follies and weaknesses can likewise share in this miracle” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], pp. 367–68).

Kenneth L. Higbee, “Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind,” Ensign, Sep 1972, 83

A newspaper editor, speaking to a college graduating class, asked, “How many of you have ever sawed wood? Let’s see your hands.”

Many hands went up.

Then he asked, “How many of you have ever sawed sawdust?”

No hands went up.

“Of course, you can’t saw sawdust!” he exclaimed. “It’s already sawed! And it’s the same with the past. When you start worrying about things that are over and done with, you’re merely trying to saw sawdust.”

Too many people make themselves miserable by dwelling needlessly on their past failures and mistakes. They lie awake at night agonizing over the mistakes they have made and what they should have done. Almost everyone occasionally does thoughtless, impulsive things that bring unpleasant consequences. Almost everyone occasionally misses golden opportunities through apathy or oversight. Almost everyone may be occasionally selfish or unkind.

We cannot help feeling despair over such occasions, but we should not feel as if we ought to be exiled from the human race simply because of them. In fact, mistakes are not only an acceptable part of life, but they may even be beneficial. The intelligent use of our mistakes helps us learn and grow; past failures may be guideposts to future successes. But our failures and mistakes can be constructive only if we analyze them, gain what profit we can from them, and then forget them.

Paul wrote, “… this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” (Philip. 3:13.) Many other people have recognized the fact that sometimes one of the best things we can do with the past is to forget it.

The Lord has promised us that he will forgive us if we repent, and that in fact he will remember our sins no more. (D&C 64:7; D&C 58:42.) Think for a moment about the significance of this promise. If we truly repent of a sin, then as far as the Lord is concerned we are as clean as if we had never committed that sin.

Just how to go about repenting has been expressed in many different ways, but an easy one to remember is the five “R’s” of repentance: (1) recognize you have done wrong; (2) feel remorse for the wrong; (3) resolve to change; (4) reform, or act on your resolve; and (5) make restitution for the wrong.

I thought these excerpts were eloquent and explained repentance and having a repentant attitude much better than I am capable of doing.

~TG