"They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." (Matt. 9:12)

I used to hate the word “repentance” only because I didn’t know what the true meaning of the word meant. I thought it meant being shamed into confessing a sin. Or feeling really bad about something and needing to be ashamed of myself for doing it. I really misunderstood this word. Because I had heard it so much and knew that it was important I decided I wanted to understand its true meaning. The Bible dictionary has a beautiful explanation that I refer to often. It states: “The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world…repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined.” Bible Dictionary I can still remember reading this for the first time. It blew me away. It was so beautiful. “A turning of the heart and will to God”…I could do that and there was nothing shameful in those words or feelings at all. To renounce something is to reject or disown it. So, if I am to reject or disown something that is keeping me away from God, and have a “fresh view about God, about [myself], and about the world," and then "turn my heart and will to God,” that is repentance. Now, this is beautiful, and doable, and desirable!

As I have been dealing with an infection I have thought how sin is similar to having an infection. It can go undetected for a while. But eventually it will always catch up to you in one way or another. So, there has to be an antidote. And the antidote is an antibiotic. Well, the antibiotic for sin is repentance. And to get the prescription for this antibiotic we must go to a physician. Christ is the Physician. He can make us whole in our lives as we turn our hearts to Him. He says, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  Mark 2:17 Are we not all sinners? Do we not all need the Physician?

I love the thought of Christ being the Master Healer, for He truly is. He knows exactly what we are suffering, in every aspect of our lives. He knows what antibiotics we need to take, with no worries of allergic reactions. “He [took] upon him [our] infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to [our] infirmities.” Alma 7:12 He knows.

I have come to love the word, the action, and the process of repentance. It is beautiful and wonderful to turn my heart, my mind, and my life to Christ. To “have a fresh view about God, about [myself], and about the world.” It feels so good to be made whole. This I testify.