Hot Take- Guilt.

Assigning a redemptive power to our feelings of guilt or suffering for sin disregards the Savior’s Atonement.

We must change the narrative to match the Lord’s if you and I expect to change.

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Go from

“I need to repent so I can feel comfortable entering the temple.”

to

“I am a child of a God Who loves me. He knows my inherent need and desire to change. Jesus Christ helps me do so by repentance through His Atonement. As I come to know Him by transforming into a being more like Him, I will experience joy in His house and His presence.”

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Go from

“I have not felt bad enough for this mistake I’ve made to earn forgiveness.”

to

“Feelings of guilt or shame can be results of sins and mistakes. They are not indicative of or requirements for Repentance. As I come to know the Lord, I will trust His sacrifice for my sins and shortcomings. A broken heart and a contrite Spirit will accompany my love of my Savior.

As I abandon self-prescribed guilt as a form of ‘payment’ and instead pursue repentance, I will access the Savior’s power. Forgiveness is a gift from God that cannot be earned.”

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Go from

“The Lord uses guilt and the world uses shame to motivate change.”

to

“I know God is my loving and all knowing Father in Heaven. All He does is for my good. He does not use devices to demean, belittle, or damn. He is only motivated by love.

Because I am growing to love the Lord in return, Godly sorrow for the pain the Lord experienced for me can and often will accompany my sins and mistakes. The Lord does not make me feel guilty. However, as I choose to trust the Lord when I do experience feelings of guilt and bring them to Him, the Lord can begin to make me whole.”

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Elder Neil Anderson shared this perspective in his book, ‘The Divine Gift of Forgiveness.’

“We have no abiliy to pay for our own sins. Repentance is exactly the opposite of punishment. Repentance relieves the guilt and pain and suffering caused by sin. Jesus Christ paid for all of the sins in the world. Our repentance does not pay for one ounce of the sins we have committed. The Atonement of Jesus Christ fulfilled all the demands of justice perfectly, exactly. Our attention must be on Him and our appreciation for His suffering. If we worry whether we have paid back or suffered enough for our sins, it will impede our ability to repent and feel forgiven, bringing painful discouragement with it.

“A person cannot suffer for his sins, but he will suffer because of his sins. There is always a punishment in sinning, but the punishment, the suffering, and the pain are caused by the sin, not by the repentance.

“When someone has cancer and surgery is required, it is not the surgery that is the cause of the suffering; it is the cancer. The

surgery is temporarily difficult, but the cancer is the villain, not the surgery. Sin causes the suffering, not the repentance.”

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There is a reason why our prophet @RusselMNelson invited us to ‘Experience the joy of daily repentance.’ - Not the guilt.

That repentance becomes a desire and a privilege instead of a burden -

that guilt becomes a conquerable side effect of mortality and not a self-prescribed dose of ‘deserved’ suffering for sin -

and that a life of repentance brings more chances for joy than we’ve ever allowed ourselves feeling before -

is a real hope of mine these days.

#startingtoday #HearHim