The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness ~ Part One

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

This week's topics for this blog is "Forgive, Forgiveness, and Repentance." This post focuses on a October 1995 General Conference talk, and it is called "The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness" by Elder Boyd K. Packer. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the talk. 

Elder Packer mentioned the following; "...The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt can be earned through repentance. Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fullness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. 

... Even that grace of God promised in the scriptures comes only “after all we can do.” You may tell yourself that your transgressions are not spiritually illegal. That will not work; neither will rebellion, nor anger, nor joking about them. You cannot do that. 

And you don’t have to do it. There is a way back. It will not help if, out of tender regard for your feelings, I avoid telling you about the hard part. ... Most mistakes can be settled between us and the Lord, and that should be done speedily. It requires a confession to Him, and whatever obvious repairs need to be made.

With sincere repentance as a pattern in our lives, measured by our willingness to “confess them and forsake them,” the Lord has promised that we may “always retain a remission of [our] sins.” ... The punishment may, for the most part, consist of the torment we inflict upon ourselves. It may be the loss of privilege or progress. 

We are punished by our sins, if not for them. There are some transgressions which require a discipline which will bring about the relief that comes with the morning of forgiveness. If your mistakes have been grievous ones, go to your bishop. Like the rescuers who brought John Breen down from the mountaintops, bishops can guide you through the steps required to obtain forgiveness insofar as the Church is concerned.

"When you FORGIVE, you don't change
the PAST, but you do change the
FUTURE."

Each one of us must work out individually forgiveness from the Lord. To earn forgiveness, one must make restitution. That means you give back what you have taken or ease the pain of those you have injured. 

But sometimes you cannot give back what you have taken because you don’t have it to give. ... There are times you cannot mend that which you have broken. 

Perhaps the damage was so severe that you cannot fix it no matter how desperately you want to. .. Your repentance cannot be accepted unless there is a restitution. If you cannot undo what you have done, you are trapped. 

Stay Tuned until next time.