I used the same backpack from the first day of 8th grade until my final day of senior year at BYU.
Shoutout to Jansport for making the most durable backpacks ever.
Because that black with purple and blue polka dotted backpack went through A LOT in those 9 years.
Countless heavy textbooks, notebooks stuffed with papers and assignments, lunchboxes, water bottles, a laptop…
I just look at that backpack (which I still have and use for travel now)…
And my back starts to ache.
So heavy.
I’m guessing I’m not alone when I say that I grew up viewing repentance as a punishment—
Something you “have to do” after messing up.
Repentance seemed like a complicated list of steps I had to endure each time I sinned.
It seemed that repentance was like putting ON a heavy backpack.
I have been so happy to learn, though, that repentance is really a positive change that brings me closer to the Savior.
The Lord spoke to Joseph:
“And now I command you, my servant Joseph, to repent and walk more uprightly before me. . . .” (D&C 5:21)
Did you catch that?
When Joseph repents, then he can walk more UPRIGHTLY.
Repentance isn’t a heavy backpack— it is what removes that heavy backpack so that we can walk more uprightly.
I picture that heavy load of guilt and pain all bundled up in a large backpack being lifted off of weary shoulders so that Joseph could stand up straight and get back to work.
Instead of waiting until that backpack of rocks becomes unbearable before I decide to take it off, I try to now practice the habit of daily repentance.
It has been life-changing.
I’m changing and turning back to the Lord a little bit more each day.
I’m taking that heavy backpack off.
And it is such a relief to be able to stand up just a bit more straight as I take off the load of sin.
Don’t forget— repentance is taking the backpack off.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
4 Responses
Thank you for this insight! Great analogy.
🙂
Thanks Cali, I appreciate that thought. Repentance is easy said then done. Comparing it to a heavy backpack does make it clearly to explain the picture to my youth and YSA. Teaching a group of inactive and less active YSA has been difficult to explain some of the gospel principles. The youth and YSA are more into visual things, in order for them to understand clearly. A few would pick up what I’m trying to teach, but others have issues of understanding them unless they see objects that can relate to the principles.
Again, thanks for the great thought. Have a great day and blessed week.
I hope it helps if you share with your group! I can tell you are a good teacher, since you are trying to figure out how to teach them in ways that will resonate with them! <3