Repent every day? I'm not THAT bad: A Guest Post by Sister Yates

What's all this talk about "Repent every day?"

Don't get offended by this common Mormon term.  It doesn't mean you're a sinner, sinful, awful person.  It simply means that we are all imperfect and need to change.

To clarify, repentance is:
 "...a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God." (Repentance, Bible Dictionary)

As it says in the Bible Dictionary, repentance is a change of heart, opinion, life direction, etc.  It doesn't just mean you stop sinning.  Repentance is encouraged each day so we can continually be close to God, and the Holy Ghost so we can receive the guidance and direction needed to return to Heavenly Father.

Ask yourself: Am I someone the Holy Ghost can be around? Is there anything in my daily conduct that needs some improvement? With these questions in mind, don't be overly hard on yourself.  We all, no matter how long we've been Mormon, have room to improve on this.  We are not perfect, but the Lord has asked that we strive for perfection, and the only way we can even begin to achieve that is through repentance.

You may be wondering, "What do I need to repent of?" The world we live in is full of unclean things. We are told in Alma 11:37, "no unclean thing can live in the presence of God."  Therefore, we need to be mindful of things such as:
-Worldly Entertainment: "Would Christ feel comfortable with this music/TV show/ movie, etc.?"
-Vulgar Language: "Would I say that if Christ were in the room?"
-Gossip: "Would the Lord ever say that about any of His children?"
-Anger: "Would this situation be something God becomes angry about?"

These are just a few examples of everyday struggles and unclean things that we, as imperfect humans, need to over come.