Some scriptures change your life. Moroni chapter 7 in the Book of Mormon is one of those scriptures for me. It is bursting with faith, hope, charity, the goodness of Christ, and His love for us.
Many years ago, I was sitting in church and thinking about how I was done repenting, at least about Sunday mornings. No matter how many times I tried to get Sunday morning right, I could not do it, and even though I had failed and repented over and over and over, I was still failing. What was my great Sunday morning sin? It was a pretty bad one. I had yelled at my child for losing her shoes and making us late for church again. I should have helped her find them the night before and trained her to put them in her closet. I am sure I was more upset at myself than at her and I wish I would have realized it in the moment.
I had tried to make Sunday morning really special, with no contention and a meaningful family prayer and a short devotional to prepare us to feel the spirit. My husband was usually gone before church to a meeting, so it was all on me.
Anyway, back to the story where I'm sitting in church and giving up repentance because I am hopeless. It was time for the sacrament and by some miracle no one was crying or fighting so I could actually open up my scriptures and think about Christ while I partook of the holy ordinance.
My old triple (the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants) cracked open to Moroni chapter 7 and verses 37 and 38 seemed to call my name.
"For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also, and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made." --Moroni 7:38
The meaning of this scripture hit me hard. I was sitting in a church, supposedly to worship Christ, about to partake of the sacrament, which is literally a time to remember the atonement of Jesus, and I'd decided to throw His sacrifice away because of my chronic shortcomings. Luckily, the first part of the next verse came with a soft feeling of love and a kind reminder of my faith in God and of God's faith in me.
"But behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness;..." Moroni 7:39
Those verses changed the course of my day and maybe my life.
What a sweet relief that I can keep trying to be better no matter how many times I fail. What a sober knowledge that Christ has paid the price for my sins and weaknesses whether or not I utilize the atonement's great power. What an eternal waste and unkind act if I choose not to repent.
I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in His atonement. I believe in His love for each and every person on the earth. When I don't believe in myself, I often hear the words softly reassuring me, I judge better things of you, and I keep moving forward.
"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you think you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home or family or God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's atonement shines."--Jeffrey R. holland.
