Realizing Your True Capacity

The person on the right in white is Elijah. Elder Griffiths and his companion
found him and taught him, but then they were transferred.
Elijah was baptized just a few weeks after Elder Griffiths left the area.  

I've been thinking recently about repentance. It's not a popular word in a lot of modern religions. Most people believe in "justification by faith" which is the concept that you don't need to live righteously as long as you believe the Savior covers you for your sins. 

We meet people each day who believe that they are sinners so there's nothing they should do to try and be better. They've accepted defeat and have chosen to play the role of "helpless damsel in distress." It's true that we each have our shortcomings and our own tendencies to sin, but we can't continue to practice learned helplessness and expect God to bless us for that. 

My favorite part of being a missionary is to watch someone repent and realize what their true capacity and capability is. We each have divine heritage and we shouldn't waste the potential God has given us. If we don't repent then we are wasting our opportunities to see how much help God is willing to give us. 

It's certainly some food for thought. I've been thinking about this quite a bit. Repentance is the kind of doctrine that can easily be tested. It will definitely bring you happiness!

The person in white in the center is Christian. Elder Griffiths and Elder Harper
began teaching him but were transferred before his baptism. Christian asked
the new elders in the area to "call the missionaries who found me and
introduced me to this gospel" to let them know he was baptized.