“And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree...But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.” (1 Nephi 8:24, 30). We can learn important lessons about repentance by studying the two different groups in Lehi’s vision that press forward through the mist of darkness, using the rod of iron to eventually make it to the tree of life. One group was clinging to the rod of iron. The other group was continually holding fast to the rod of iron. If we use the rod of iron to represent repentance, we can see how some of us might be doing more clinging than continually holding fast. Those who cling are those who try to walk the path alone, on their own two feet without any help. This is hard to do in the best of circumstances, but basically impossible while pressing forward through the mists of darkness. When those who try to go it alone inevitably stumble and fall, of course they then cling to the rod of iron. And then, when the panic has subsided and their feet feel a little more firm, they decide they are strong and righteous and faithful enough to do things on their own once more. And then they stumble and fall and cling once more to the rod. So many of us approach repentance in this way. We view repentance as kind of a backup plan if we fail, but as long as we are more or less doing what’s right, we don’t really need repentance until something goes wrong. But this is not how repentance is supposed to be. Repentance is not for emergencies. Repenting is not a sign of weakness or moral failing. The truly righteous know that they must hold fast continually to the principle of repentance. They don’t start or stop repenting because they are repenting continuously. This kind of constant focus and effort on seeking always to repent, step after step, not just when we stumble but also when our strides are firm with confidence, this kind of repentance helps us to build a relationship with our Heavenly Father that is deep and abiding enough to withstand any kind of scorn or persecution that the world can conjure up. Repentance is not for just in case. Repentance is not the backup plan. Repentance is not something we cling to when everything goes wrong. Repentance is something we must hold fast to continuously, both when we are righteous and when we rebel, when the road is clear and sunny and when it is filled with the mists of darkness, when we feel on top of the world and when we feel as though we have been cast into the pit. I hope that we can always strive to hold fast continuously to repentance.
