The subject of having “sinned too much” or “waited too long” comes up on the UnBlog every now and then. I saw this quote on the IDLDS chat group, and wanted to share it with you. Joshua comes up with gems like this quite often, and has given me permission to share them on the UnBlog. Notice the “if”. It isn’t if we repent hard enough, or talk to the Bishop, or even quit sinning.
“The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt can be earned through repentance. Save for those few – those very few – who defect to perdition after having known a fullness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense small or large which is exempt from the promise of complete forgiveness. No matter what has happened in your life, the Lord has prepared a way for you to come back if you will heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.”
–BOYD K. PACKER, “Truths Most Worth Knowing”, November 6, 2011 BYU Devotional
UnBlogmysoul 
We must never limit the power of the Atonement. It is truly eternal and infinite in its application to our souls. The sooner we surrender to the loving arms of Christ, the sooner the indescrible joy and peace that will be ours. Forgiving ourselves is harder than forgiving others. They will walk away and move on with their lives, but we have to live with ourselves every day. I love the song,”Gentle” by Michael McLean. We cannot be gentle to others if we are not gentle with ourselves first. Only Christ can make us gentle and forgiving. They are Christlike attributes. When you see someone who is truly loving, gentle and forgiving, by not being judgmental, then you can know that that person has applied the Atonement to their lives. May it so be with each of us.
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What is the IDLDS chat group?
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It stands for “In Depth LDS” and is a by invitation only group. You have to know someone personally who can introduce you to the group.
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I understand (regarding unusable comment). It is better to focus on the message of Christ as a resolution to problems great and small. The following is another illustration of the same idea I had tried to express. I think this time it fits in with the theme of the previous thread without risk of creating misunderstanding.
Have you ever noticed that in scriptures the first born son always loses his birthright to a younger son? I am unaware of a single exception to this in scriptural record. There may have been an elder son that did keep his inheritance (for example Mosiah son of King Benjiman probably was the eldest of three brothers) . But anytime an individual is portrayed in his role as the Eldest in scripture, it is to emphasis the loss of his birthright through his own misdeeds. Because Christ is known as the Eldest, and the First Born, I think there is a message in this.
First, that it wasn’t His birthright alone that qualified Him to be the Savior. It was something deeper than that. It was His unfailing willingness to do the will of the Father. It was His humble submission to everything that Heavenly Father placed upon His shoulders that qualified (gave Him the ability) to do what he did (and does).
Second, it is a type that serves as a warning to us. We are not qualified simply by our position (for example, simply by being a member of the church). We are qualified by our willingness to submit to God’s will, by humble acceptance of the tasks he gives us to do and by doing it with the proper heart.
Considering this, I must not fall into a trap of thinking I have qualified and another person has not because they have not yet done X, Y, or Z. And X might even mean, “join the church”. To do so places me into the trap of thinking I will receive the inheritance simply because I am an “Elder Brother”. It is possible that the other is living by the amount of light and direction that God has given him thus far and when the time is right, he will be qualified in the manner that is according to God’s time table.
I am thinking that is the same premise behind the tale of two fishermen in the previous blog. Let me know if I missed the main idea or overshot the word limit too much!
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Great comment, thanks.
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Amen Forest!
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I have had an opportunity lately to accompany the missionaries as they go about teaching others of Christ, His Atonement and the Purpose of the Gospel. I get to see a wide range of reactions to this message as it is delivered by two humble, pure hearted young men. One thing I have really recognized from this is that no matter where you are in life, there is always “The Next Step”. Every person they visit has one more step to take and toward Christ if they are willing to go in that direction. And not suprisingly, I have my own step to take. Right now, today. If I take that next step, I know I will receive enough light to find another “next step” after that and then another one after that. The reason I know there is another step is because I have not yet returned to my Father in Heaven, the ultimate destination. Therefore, repentence is a daily process. There IS ALWAYS SOMETHING to repent of until He has redeemed me from the fall. So I don’t ever need to feel discouraged about the distance between here and that ultimate destination as long as I find a willingness to take just one more step today.
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This is an excellent comment. I just couldn’t go where your other comment was leading, though I appreciated your openness. This blog goes world-wide and it just isn’t where the Spirit is leading us right now.
Thanks, JMP
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Thank you for sharing this sweet message of hope. It took me a long time to believe this applied to me; that no matter what I could be forgiven. After awhile I just couldn’t carry the burden alone anymore. I found rest in handing it over to my Savior and I am grateful beyond measure to Him. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.
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So it is. Thanks for the comment.
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