Repent Ye

“…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” –Mark 1:14-15

I often feel like repentance is an idea that is talked about all the time but never really grasped. It is central to the gospel, and essential to salvation. It is the second principle of the gospel, after faith, and before baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We are told to preach “nothing but repentance” to bring people to Christ (D&C 6:9, 11:9, see Mosiah 18:20), and bringing people to Christ is one of the missions of the church and our purpose as disciples of Christ.

So what does it mean? I’ve heard many definitions that all help me to better understand what repentance means. It means to have a new mind. It’s a process of recognizing your mistakes and sins and going to God for forgiveness and letting him change you. It’s a conversion. It’s acknowledging previous failures. It means to feel sorrow for your sins and make a change for the better. The easiest way for me to think about repentance is to think about change. When you ask someone to repent, or when you are asked to repent you are really inviting and asking them to change their lives to become more like God. Whether it is to stop smoking or to be kinder or to forgive someone, these are all changes that come from repentance–recognizing a sin or something that makes you less like God, and asking for his help to stop it and change your nature.

My New Testament professor gave another definition for repentance. He said that if you go back to the Greek the word means more of “to return.” Return to what? In the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon, Christ uses little children as an example of what we are to become:

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” ~Matt. 18:1-3

So we are to return to a child-Father relationship with Heavenly Father. The invitation to repent is an invitation to enter into a new relationship with the Father and live as children before God as Father. We are dependent on Him. We need his help, we can’t live an independent life. And when we trust God as a Father, as though we were little children depending upon our father for everything we will be so blessed. We will really become more like Christ and we will really be able to return to Him and receive all that He wants to give us.

One of my favorite things is to see little children. I work in the mall and they come into my store with their parents all the time, and the light and joy and innocence and wonder and curiosity that is in each one, and their love for their parents is always amazing to see. It makes my day. I hope that each day and each change I make can help me return to my Heavenly Father as a little child would. I hope that repentance–change, renewal, return–each day will draw me closer to Christ. I know that that is where we will all find the healing and hope that we so desperately need to find joy and peace beyond this mortal existence.