Atonement

Tomorrow my GQA, or Gospel Question Assignment, is due in my Book of Mormon 122 class here at Brigham Young University. When I first started doing this assignment, I was reluctant because I didn't think it would benefit me in any way at all. I decided to relate my assignment to a very personal experience I had in my life. The major question I wanted to be answered was, "have I repented of my sins properly and have I been completely forgiven?" This question was very personal to me and as I began to answer it, I quickly realized that this assignment would actually be very beneficial to me. The spiritual experience I've had as I completed this assignment was one that I will never forget because the spirit bore witness to me that I have been forgiven. I would like to share some things about what I have learned from this assignment. First of all, we shouldn't attempt to repent of our sins until we are completely ready; God doesn't like to see us repenting of the same sin over and over again. Another thing that I learned is that we do not have to go through the repentance process for small sins. These small sins are referred to as "errors" in the Scriptures, and we are taught that we need to merely mention and acknowledge our mistake or error, and then try to refrain from doing it again. Lastly, when we commit major sins, we must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit in order to truly be forgiven. When I first read that we need a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" in the Scriptures, I was unsure of what that meant. After reading a talk given in General Conference by one of our apostles in the Quorum of the Twelve, I found that having a broken heart and a contrite spirit consists of being completely willing to submit to the will of the Father, whatever it is that he wants done.