Repenting Is Like Skateboarding

Skateboarders are crazy. Lets face it they have a lot of guts, or they are just plain stupid. I asked someone we teach today how long it takes him to master a trick. He said a week atleast, it depends on the trick. Then I asked him how many times he crashes and burns while he is practicing. Too many times. A couple of scrapped elbows and broken wrists don't scare these kids though. Only a rainy day will stop them from hitting the parks and rails. It is a way of life. It is worth it when you hit that kickflip or stick a grind. The bumps and bruises get farther in between. You just gotta stick to it. Stopping because the board slipped on the rail is no excuse. If you have your mind fixed on landing the trick nothing will prevent you from succeeding.

Life is a lot like skateboarding. We all have to have alot of guts to make right choices, or we are just plain stupid. The world is always trying to drag us behind. Satan really doesnt want us to be happy. He will do everything he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father. It takes us a while to make righteous choices. Following the Savior isnt easy but it is worth it. The way is very simple, we just have to have the faith the take those first steps.

Our Savior commanded us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Has anyone took a look around lately? How many perfect people do you see running around? We must be crazy for trying to be like Jesus who was absolutely perfect. Just like skateboarding we all crash and burn. We all make mistakes. We all commit sin and "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). That doesnt stop us though. We are going to nail that trick. We are going to be like Christ. We just got to stick to it. We repent when we hop back on that skateboard and go at it again. It doesnt matter how many times we fall  we can always get back on the board. Each time we repent we learn something new and we become more like our Savior. The more we repent the farther there is between the bumps and bruises. Soon we master the trick and then we go onto a new aspect of life. There is always new tricks to be learned and new trials to face. If we truly want to be like our Savior we must be like the true boarders. We must fight through the broken bones. We must always be trying to learn new tricks. We enjoy the ride but we are never satisfied. We recognize we can always improve. We can always repent.

It is never to late to try skateboarding. I invite you all to hop on the board and get shredding. It is time to follow Jesus Christ. "And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son" (2 Nephi 31: 11). Just do it. Have the guts to give it a try. Dont be scared of a few broken bones and failed attempts because "This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God" (2Nephi 31:21)