With the month of March, many of us find relief from the confines and bitter temperatures that winter brings. Some parts of the world will experience flooding, high winds, and other seasonal elements that come with the slow awakening of the earth. Thus, many areas go through a bit of tumult in order to arrive at the end result of a garden full of flowers or a lawn of green grass.
As the earth is in the process of renewing itself, perhaps we can extend this to our lives. The change in climate is gradual, just like a change in heart. There are still some cold days, and while the overall temperature is increasing, we’ll still have to withstand those strong spring storms.
It is similar to going through the process of repentance or correcting an undesired habit.
A recent Jr. Primary lesson was on repentance. I tried to think of ways that I could explain “repentance” to a class of five-year-old children. Most of their young lives are concerned with whether someone pinched them, broke their toy, or if it’s almost snack time. The one thing that came to mind was to compare “repentance” to saying “I’m sorry.” I felt the children could grasp that concept. When they do something wrong, they can say “I’m sorry.” The children came up with many situations in which they’d need to say “I’m sorry” and start practicing the principle of repentance.
Of course, as adults, we know that in addition to saying “I’m sorry,” whether it’s to the person we offended or to Heavenly Father, there should be much more depth than just a couple of simple words. It needs to come from our heart and truly mean something—so much that we are willing to face the fierce winds of temptation as we fight to completely overcome.
As a mild example, a friend of mine recently asked for advice as she planned to quit her caffeinated soft-drink habit. Many had answers for her to consider—from taking caffeine pills so that she was off the soft-drink for starters, to reducing her consumption gradually. The “how” seemed to be easily answered by many, but the real question hadn’t yet been asked. When we are in the habit of something, and wish to change it, we need to find something to replace that habit. For my soft-drinking friend, she might choose a non-soda to drink when she gets her cravings, or she might find something else that helps her. It’s similar to coming out of our winter sleep—we’ve decided to make a change—but there will be strong winds that we’ll have to battle against. And we must have a plan in action.
Parents and teachers have the duty of teaching those we are responsible for about repentance and the meaning of the Atonement. The Savior extends His mercy, but must also be justice. Without justice there can be no mercy, or it becomes a mockery. Repenting is no easy task and requires stamina time and time again to replace our sins and bad habits with correct behavior. Just like a flower growing and pushing through the heavy layer of soil, repentance will bring relief from the heavy burden of sin. We might not even realize how downtrodden we are until the burden has been lifted from us. Yes, there is soil to push through and spring storms to face until we have achieved the full measure of redemption. Although the journey may be difficult at many steps along the way, the final result will be like a glorious garden.
Heather B. Moore is the author of Alma the Younger and Women of the Book of Mormon