Out of those four steps, in my opinion, the first and the last are very hardest. If I can admit that I have a problem, remorse comes naturally. A part of showing remorse is rectifying any adverse effects that were a result of my sin. The fourth step, never repeating the sin, is much easier said than done.
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| ©Darrell Wyatt |
I love this picture. It illustrates perfectly what sometimes happens when we try to abandon our sins. For the most part, our sins are things that give us temporary pleasure, whether it be physical or emotional. And sometimes, instead of completely turning away from them, we leave just the tiniest crack in the door. Probably not intentionally, but we do it. We know that keeping that door shut will keep us safe, but we think that by just cracking it a little bit, we're not harming ourselves or anyone else. But we are. We are giving ourselves an "escape route" back to the temporary "comfort" of our sins.
Nowhere in the scriptures can I think of a better account of a people completely and permanently turning their backs on sin than the account of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. This was a people who were converted to the Lord by the missionaries - Ammon, Aaron, Omner and Himni. They had been a very murderous people until the time of their conversion, when they swore to never lift a sword again. They were confronted with a serious test of their repentance when an army of Lamanites was headed toward them for battle. Should they defend themselves and their families, or should they honor the oath they had sworn to never raise their swords against a fellow human being? Their king had the answer:
Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren....
Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.
And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved. (Alma 24:12, 15-16)
And so they buried their swords. And when the Lamanite army came upon them, they were slaughtered - over one thousand of them died before the Lamanites had a sudden crisis of conscience and put down their swords. They knew that the Anti-Nephi-Lehies were not going to fight back and that they were shedding innocent blood. Many, but not all, had a mighty change of heart.
And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.
And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people. (Alma 24:26-27)
Not only did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies close the door on their sins, they welded it shut by actually burying their swords deep in the earth. Had they left even the tiniest crack in that door, the temptation to pick up their swords and defend themselves would probably have been too great to resist. Because of their complete repentance, more than one thousand new souls were brought to a knowledge of light and truth. Had they picked up their swords and fought, not only would there have been more death, there would have been zero conversion. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father received them, spotless and forgiven, into his arms. What an amazing example.
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