“Because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved” (Alma 32:13). As I was reading Alma 32:13, I noticed that a person who is compelled to be humble will sometimes - but not always! - seek repentance. But then it says that a person who repents shall surely - not maybe! - find mercy, and if that person after finding mercy endures to the end, that person shall be saved. While the miseries and tragedies that befall me or those which I bring on myself through my own stupidity and pride will often compel me to be humble or at least humiliated, there is no guarantee that such compelled humility will lead me to seek out repentance. Sometimes it does, but often it is just one more excuse to be angry and spiteful and to merely double down on my stupidity and stubbornness and to just wallow in the bitterness that comes with the knowledge that my way does not work as much as I might want it to. However, what is guaranteed is that if I choose to take advantage of the opportunities that compel me to be humble and embrace that humility that has been thrust upon me, such that I sincerely seek out repentance, not merely to go through the motions but with a real desire to change my life and dig myself out of the hole I'm in, then surely, surely I will find mercy. Every single time. It is not that there are no conditions on the repentance process, because there are. Repentance requires faith in Christ, confessing sins when appropriate and forsaking them always, a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and plenty of prayer and fasting. There must be sincerity and commitment and unflinching hope every step of the way. But as long as this repentance has been honest and thorough and complete, then there is no condition or uncertainty on the fruits of that labor. Every time that we repent we are guaranteed mercy and forgiveness and cleansing and healing and sanctifying. There is no uncertainty. There is no doubt. We will often find reasons and excuses to delay or cut short our repentance, but none of them are good. Whether we are good and righteous or wicked and sinful, or anywhere in between, it is a fact of life that we will frequently be compelled to be humble. If we repent then we are assured that we will find mercy and if we endure long enough then we will be saved from whatever humbling circumstances in which we find ourselves. If we choose not to repent, then there is no surefire way out of our miserable state. We might stumble blindly on a way out, at least temporarily, but something else will come along and knock us back in the whole. But if we just remember to repent, then surely we will find mercy.
