"...For He has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; He comprehendeth all things, and He is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on His name" (Alma 26:35).

In life, I have to ask myself some hard questions, a lot. There came a time in my life when I had to grow up and make a choice for myself about various things. I was no longer the child, but the adult. I couldn't blame my parents for my choices anymore, or the "bad teacher", or "insensitive leader", or "inconsiderate friend" who ignored my needs at whatever age. I was "grown up" and I was the one leading, and teaching. I became the parent, and the leader, and the teacher. I ask, at what point do we quit blaming others for things that happen to us and turn to Christ, repent of the pain that is within us, and allow Him to heal us?

Repent of pain you may ask? Why do we need to "repent of pain"? Repentance: "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. Since we were born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul's salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin, and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Bible Dictionary, Repentance). Sin is "willful disobedience to God's commandments" (Guide to the Scriptures, Sin). If "pain" is keeping us from turning, returning, yielding, or allowing Christ to heal us, then we are sinning. (I know it is a matter of semantics, but I am using the word "pain" to describe a lot of excuses to hang onto things that, perhaps, it's time to let go and get a "fresh view" about life and what is all around us.) I am not talking about physical pain that we can't control or do anything about. I am talking about clinging to past hurts, past "pains" i.e. the pain of not forgiving, the pain of pride, the pain of hate, the pain of holding onto anger, the pain of blaming others for things that have happened in the past that we need to let go, etc. You may be thinking that pain isn't sin, or that pain isn't "my fault", especially when "so-n-so" did "such-n-such" to me or my child or my family. I understand the need and desire to hang on to "pain". But when we hang on to emotional pain, rather than turning it over to the Lord, letting Him heal us, it does become a sin. We are commanded to "forgive all men" (D&C 64:10), this would include ourselves.

We become something less than we are capable of becoming when we hang on to "pain". We continue to think and "see through a glass, darkly" (1 Corinthians 13:12), rather than being able to "see clearly" (Matt. 7:5, 3 Nephi 14:5). President James E. Faust said, "May I suggest that you take your challenges one day at a time. Do the best you can. Look at everything through the lens of eternity. If you will do this, life will take on a different perspective" (Instruments in the Hands of God; italics added)

The Savior said after He had appeared to the Nephites, "O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you" (3 Nephi 9:13 italics added)? He wants us to "return unto [Him]" and "repent of our sins". Hanging onto past hurts, or clinging to things of the past, justifying "bad behavior" because someone hurt us, only keeps old wounds open, allowing infection to set in and not let true healing take place. It hurts us because it keeps us away from Christ and His healing power. Christ can and will heal us, but only if we let Him in (see Revelations 3:20). He is omnipotent and He wants to heal us "...For He has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; He comprehendeth all things, and He is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on His name" (Alma 26:35). Christ will not only heal us, but He understands our hurts, our pain, our loneliness.  Pres. Faust in the same address said: "Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life... You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace " (Instruments in the Hands of God). We must tap into this power, the power of the atonement and let it heal us, heal our hearts, our minds, our souls. We don't need to keep suffering needlessly because we want to hang onto "pain". It isn't easy to let things go, to be the "grown-up" all the time. But with the help of the Master, we "can do all things" (Philippians 4:13). Staying home, away from church isn't the answer to healing...no matter how badly we have been offended.

Jesus Christ wants more than anything for us to repent~ to have a "fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world". He wants us to have His view, which view is eternal. This is the view He had when He "suffered these things for all, that [we] might not suffer if [we] would repent" (D&C 19:16). Sometimes asking the hard questions of ourselves isn't easy. It can be quite painful to change, to be the "grown-up's" that we are and accept responsibility for the choices we are making and quite blaming others for our choices. When we make the choice to "look up" (Psalms 5:3) and turn ourselves, our hearts and minds to Christ, we are choosing to be healed. Being healed takes time, but it is totally worth it. And the view is incredible. This I testify.