Ponderings

We were reading in 2 Nephi chapter 1 last night and I got to thinking about how we can be cut off from God's presence, and what a horrible fate that really is. I'm hoping that most of the people who read this haven't been in that situation and that repentance has always come soon enough, but for myself, I have had a taste of what it is like to be cut off. There is no feeling in this world so dark and miserable. To be left on your own, without the benefit of the comforter, because of the distance you've put between yourself and God... that is a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.
What a glorious thing this gospel is though, that we know that as soon as we make the choice to repent and return to God, He is right there. He's always anxiously waiting to hear from us. He wants us to "prosper in the land" and He wants us to be happy! The flip side of being cut off is prospering, and I don't think that prospering necessarily means financially! We prosper as we shed our sins and gain true freedom, as we walk back into the light and are filled with peace. We prosper as we grow in confidence and in love.
It's an interesting perspective to have been on both sides of this situation, and it helps me to understand that NO ONE is hopeless. There is not a single person on this earth that can't repent and be forgiven! Jesus won't turn any one away, no matter how hideous the sin, no matter how long the sinner has been away. He gives His salvation for free, with no strings attached! He knows that as soon as we come unto Him that we will naturally start to do the things He's asked us to! He doesn't need to charge us for His atonement... He knows that good works will follow when people truly understand what He did for them. (Besides, everything we have is His already- how could we pay Him??!!) How amazing!! How blessed we are to understand this!!