I love this Mormon meme from the Mormon Channel that I saw on Facebook today:
The reason that I like this meme is because it reminds me of several things.
First of all, I like the wording because it reminds me that our Savior "has the power to cleanse and heal". There is nothing that we can do in this life, and no matter what it is others have done to us that cannot be cleansed and healed through the atonement (the suffering of Christ in Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary).
How is it that we are cleansed and healed through the atonement? The first step is believing that Christ has taken upon him all of ours sins, infirmities, in total everything that we have done in this life and suffered for them on our behalf in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. If he had not done so there would have been no way for us to return back to the presence of God, our Heavenly Father.
Secondly in order for us to be fully cleansed and healed Christ asks that we be baptized unto repentance to show our desires to become a new creation. The water in the meme above reminds me of baptism and its literal cleansing power. We can become a new creation as the scriptures teach us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version) , Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
After my own baptism I became a new creation. All of my past mistakes and sins were forgiven.
As a full time missionary I was blessed to see many of Heavenly Father's children make the baptismal covenant (or promise) and experience the joy and happiness that comes from becoming a new creation.
After baptism we have the ability to renew our baptismal covenant every Sunday by partaking of the sacrament in remembrance of the atonement of Christ and as a way to start over again from the mistakes we made throughout the week.
Even after baptism we will make mistakes both small and great. Yet, we have a way to be forgiven! We must be willing to confess our sins to the Lord and if needs be to our Church leaders. They hold the keys to repentance (not that Christ does not have them as well) but one reason we are asked to confess is to relieve ourselves of the burden of guilt and shame that sins causes our minds and hearts. It really is a relief from stress to be able to hear through our appointed leaders that we are forgiven.
After baptism we have the ability to renew our baptismal covenant every Sunday by partaking of the sacrament in remembrance of the atonement of Christ and as a way to start over again from the mistakes we made throughout the week.
Even after baptism we will make mistakes both small and great. Yet, we have a way to be forgiven! We must be willing to confess our sins to the Lord and if needs be to our Church leaders. They hold the keys to repentance (not that Christ does not have them as well) but one reason we are asked to confess is to relieve ourselves of the burden of guilt and shame that sins causes our minds and hearts. It really is a relief from stress to be able to hear through our appointed leaders that we are forgiven.
I am grateful for the blessing of repentance!
