Hey howdy hey.
The past few days, I've had Disney quote after Disney quote stuck in my head, most of which have been completely random and have made me look like a fool because I had to resist the urge to bust out laughing on the bus/train, such as "Everybody! Everybody! Everybody wants to be a cat (HALLELUJAH!" PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP MEEEE" (the musical version) and "Hey, I"m Woody! Howdy howdy howdy!"
One in particular, though a whole scene, in fact, comes from The Lion King. You all know the story. If you've looked at the subject of this email, you also know exactly what quote I'm going to say. "It does not matter! IT is in the past!"
So why am I even talking about this? Yes, it's a great quote, it's a good lesson to learn, and many people have already applied it to their lives. I'm talking about it though, because it's very applicable to the gospel - particularly repentance and and the atonement.
Have you ever witnessed a parent ell their child not to touch a hot stove, only to hear the crying of said child after they've touched it anyway a few minutes later? Have you ever paid attention to the parent's reaction? Sometimes, there's a "I told you not to touch the stove!" but always, there is the immediate "Let's put this under cold water" followed by care and comfort. Did you know that our Father in Heaven is the exact same way?
Everyone reading this has made mistakes, which have caused emotional or physical pain. It has also caused spiritual pain. When we consider ourselves as the divine children of God that we are, it's easier for us to realize that we have very similar instincts and reactions as the child who touched the hot stove. A child who does wrong consequence, or seeking the parents help in order to conquer a problem that is too big for them on their own. Do you see the similarity? When we, as humans, make mistakes, we either turn away from God (Consciously or not) as to the avoid the feelings of guilt and pain,or we seek HIs help to overcome what is too big for us alone.
So--When Simba receives a smack on the head, it symbolizes an action that causes him pain. Whether self-inflicted or not, it doesn't matter. -the solution remains the same. We must learn from our mistakes. Have you ever seen the freshly wounded child go back into the kitchen and put their hand on the stove again? They tend to avoid the area entirely for a while. Eventually, they may foolishly give in to curiousity again, but we do that too, and (again) the solution remains the same. Repentance literally means "Return." The German word "Umkehr" directly translates to "turn around". When we make mistakes, we turn away from God. When we repent, we return.
What I'd really like to focus on is what happens after we've repented. An important part of this process that many people struggle with is the concept of forgiving ourselves. Because repentance does get to a point where the mistake no longer matters. It's in the past, and God wants us to move on to the bigger and better things that await us.
Let's go back to the child and the stove. The child doesn't beat himself up over the fact that he burned himself. He doesn't guilt himself every time he enters the kitchen. He doesn't let it rule his life. So why do we? Because our mistakes are bigger than just a burnt finger? Because we're more mature than a child? The burn may stay for awhile, but it will heal and disappear, just as our wrongdoings and sins will when we correctly apply the power of the Atonement to our lives.
When we hold these mistakes over our own head, we are giving in to Satan. God does not want us to be unhappy. He is willing to help us every step of of the way.
I'm out of time, so'll leave you with a scripture to think about.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the HOly Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his rather." Mosiah 3:19 (emphasis added).
Remember that the analogy of the disobedient child and the loving parent also applies to our Father in Heaven. We may be the disobedient children. Heavenly Father is always the loving and caring aprent.
Have a good week!
Sister Sally Priest
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