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

The post An ode to my backpack first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.