I am currently experiencing my first genuinely cold winter. I also, for the first time in my life, have a radiator in my room. Once it started to get cold, I noticed that the radiator wasn't heating my room very effectively. The radiator itself would get warm, but not hot enough to radiate any heat outwards. I saw a valve on the side that I tried to turn but it didn't budge so I just assumed that the radiator was working properly and it just wasn't very good at pushing out the cold. As it turns out, the valve was not properly open. It was stuck but after a bit of effort we were able to turn the valve and the hot water was able to flow through the radiator pipes unimpeded and now my room is much warmer. As I have thought about how the simple turning of a valve has managed to fill my room with warmth and chase out the cold, I couldn't help but be reminded of repentance and the accompanying forgiveness and warmth and love that can come pouring into our lives as we turn to the Savior. To repent literally means to turn. If we have turned away from God through sin or doubt or personal weakness, it is like we have turned off that valve that connects us to the warmth of Christ's Atoning grace. Just like my radiator was still getting a little warm to the touch even with the valve closed, we can still feel a little of God’s love no matter how repentant or otherwise we have been. But if we only have a tiny trickle of God's love, we will not be able to ward off the cold and the dark and the doubt and the fears with which we are constantly being battered. But if we will turn that valve all of the way open and turn back to Christ and love him with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength, then the love and forgiveness and enabling grace of our Savior's Atonement will fill our souls to the brim so that we can heat everything around us with the warmth and love that we radiate. We will have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost that will burn in our hearts like a blazing fire so that none of the cold or the fierce winds of the adversary will have any power over us. I know that sometimes our valve gets stuck pretty good and it can require a lot of work to turn it all the way back open and accept the fullness of Christ's grace, but I also know that repentance is absolutely worth it.
