Conference Is Coming!

Hey Hey!! I'm doing great here and I hope you're all doing amazing as well! We had a few let downs this week but that's just part of the work, It's been a beautiful week here, Spring is coming!

There's not a whole lot to report but I did want to share a short thought on Repentance. Starting with the definition given in the Bible Dictionary.

 "Repentance: A change of mind and heart that brings a fresh attitude toward God, oneself, and life in general. Repentance implies that a person turns away from evil and turns his heart and will to God, submitting to God’s commandments and desires and forsaking sin. True repentance comes from a love for God and a sincere desire to obey His commandments. All accountable persons have sinned and must repent in order to progress toward salvation. Only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can our repentance become effective and accepted by God."

I absolutely love this definition of repentance and have read it over and over to make sure I've got it all soaked in! I really think that a lot of the time we look at repentance the wrong way. Sometimes we may focus on our past sins and make ourselves feel bad about them. While godly sorrow is definitely a part of repentance, it is in no way the focus! Repentance is NOT suffering. In fact D&C 19 implies exactly the opposite. Verse 4 says

"And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless."

So repentance, turning ourselves toward God, toward the future, AWAY from what we were, saves us from suffering. I testify that it is the atonement of Jesus Christ that soothes the anguish of the past. Through repentance we shouldn't be punishing ourselves. But allowing Christ to take the pain. We should always have a "fresh attitude" on how we can improve ourselves and become better. Looking forward! My Dad recently wrote to me in a letter

"There are things that only the Savior can fix, questions only Father can answer through Him. They are not quick fixes, but they are perfect and complete and the Savior doesn't just work around or fix. He makes new what was broken and irreparable."

My invitation is to bring a new focus of repentance into your life. But to see it not as a focus on what you've done wrong. But a focus on your love for God and what you're going to do right, allow the Savior to fix the broken, the irreparable. To quiet the storm within us just as he did the sea of Galilee. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Oh and watch conference this weekend!!

Elder Brunsdale