Another Lesson

I was assigned to teach Relief Society today. The lesson topic was "Repentance."

For a week, I considered the topic and tried to figure out in my mind how to present it. For a week, I had lots of ideas, learned a few lessons, and took lots of notes. But by last night at midnight, I still didn't know what I was going to say when I stood up in front of my sisters.  I was worried.

Then this morning, I woke up without an alarm about 30 minutes before I needed to get up for church. My mind again began considering what to say and how to say it. I took the extra time to ponder and pray. As I prayed for inspiration and for the Spirit, I had two thoughts come into my mind.

1. Heavenly Father loves you.
2. Repentance is a privilege.

They were simple thoughts, really, and hardly seemed like enough to base a 30 minute lesson on, but that was what He wanted me to teach. And when I stood up in front of my class, and wrote those two thoughts on the board, and started to talk, my mind cleared and my heart knew what to say. The Spirit was present, and I was filled.

Imagine. A Father who loves you so much, He prepared a way for you to progress - a way that involves coming to earth to develop, to change in ways that make you more like Him. A way that is so infinitely all-encompassing, it doesn't matter how many times you make a mistake, or how magnificent the mistakes you make are. He has already solved that problem - His Son atoned for those mistakes - and He offers peace and healing in exchange for repentance and change.

It is such a profound principle, I think I need another week to ponder it.