repentance

Ah, Packer Town, home of the cheese heads. So many stories. It is difficult moving from field to field (or it was for me) but He does it for the benefit of His purposes. Might I recommend on a prep day trying the cheese and talking to the locals? 

You are so far ahead spiritually than I was when I was your age. That said, I will share what I have learned this week from Psalms 51. When you teach repentance, teach the people, it is not feeling guilty, it is not the sad countenance, sackcloth, or ashes that pleases God. It is the intense work and desire to restore the relationship lost. Feeling sorry and apologizing is only part of the process. When we do wrong things and our parents punished us, it wasn't the punishment that showed repentance. When we strived, worked, and pleaded to restore the trust lost that our parents blessed us with trust. They knew that we wanted to be good. Heavenly Father is no different. Trust is a fragile thing and can be quickly lost. The Lord desires to trust and know us but all too often we think like the pagans do and think that saying "I'm sorry" or weeping will show penance. That's the beginning. The path to righteousness can be arduous and long or quick and full of delight. When you realize that Alma the Younger and King David sought a relationship with God after doing such grievous sins, you come to understand the repentance process. Heaven is not full of lamenters and sad people but is full of people who are eager for the embrace of a Savior that forgave their sins because the relationship was restored.

Every day, seek the Lord. Seek a relationship unbridled from sin. The simple things like reading, pondering, and praying will bring us closer to a loving God who sees us because we do not desire to hide in shame but desire a loving embrace, to again, walk and talk with God as Adam and Eve did once in a garden.

Again, we pray for you and love you cousin. Be bold as Daniel. Show no fear from the lions that would have you shut your mouth or change your Master's course. Serve the people as Ammon did and you will know a love of Wisconsin like Ammon did the Lamanites. You have given up everything to know the Lord as the king did in the Book of Mormon (Alma 22:18). Help those that seek the Savior in their lives to do the same.

We send our love, 

Cousin Nate

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aurora California

My dear cousin, It's in the plain and simple things (like bunnies) that joy and truth can and will be found. Look for those things in your mission. Being a primary teacher has taught me so much and has brought to light so much of my mission and what it means to me. The message that you are teaching will strengthen your testimony. Do not ever be afraid to open your mouth. Your Heavenly Father will teach you and lead you to hearts that are open and searching for Him and the Savior. Every experience will lead you to where you need to be.  I aim to write you regularly so as to encourage you, cousin. Thrust in your sickle with all your heart, might, mind and strength. Hold nothing back. You have our prayers.  Love the Binghams
Read more

Money I have none

Dear Cousin,  Your going about the Gospel rightly. When I was a young nineteen year old, my companion and I had a dry spell. Earnestly we worked and daily we were rejected. It was one such day that got a call and it was during lunch. I was eager to eat but my companion told me to hold that thought. He ordered me to get on our bikes and follow him. I thought it was so peculiar that we would forgo lunch for a phone call.  We arrived to a shack of a place that had a dead lawn and old paint and with eagerness knocked on the door. A man with a dirty undershirt and jeans greeted us with a loaded .38 at his side. The expression of joy escaped his face as he asked us to enter. He would explain that he had lost his job, kids and wife and was going to loose his home. The gun was for him to end it all if we had not shown. For the next two weeks his dirty and uneventful home gained color and his spirit brightened. Because he was a skilled CDL driver he was given a job his first Sunday and...
Read more