Repentance in Families

The Proclamation on the Family lists repentance as one of the key elements of successful marriages and families.  Where do we see repentance making a positive difference on families in the scriptures? The very first family is one example.  After Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, the Lord came and questioned them on what they had done.  Both of them admitted to their behavior saying, “I did eat” (Moses 4:18-19).  They both recognized that they had participated in a transgression of a law given to them and confessed it willingly to God.  They continued their repentance by then observing to keep the commandments of the Lord, and the Lord specifically recognized that Adam did “as I the Lord commanded him” and that Eve “did labor with him” right after they left the garden (Moses 5:1).  I think that “labor” mentioned was first and foremost an effort to keep the commandments of God.  Their confession and forsaking their sin (i.e. being obedient from then on) satisfied the two main requirements of repentance: “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43).  Adam and Eve started out their marriage and family life by recognizing their transgression and repenting before the Lord.  Though they had serious problems with some of their children, they found joy together in life and through their redemption, and they “made all things known unto their sons and their daughters” concerning the commandments of God (Moses 5:10-12).  Starting off their marriage by confessing and forsaking sin through repentance provided the foundation for their success as our first parents.  As another example, Laman and Lemuel showed us the power of repentance to bless their family, even if their repentance was not permanent.  After they tied Nephi up and left him to be killed by beasts in the wilderness, Nephi was freed through the help of the Lord and eventually Laman and Lemuel were sorrowful for their actions.  Nephi wrote, “They did bow down before me, and did plead with me that I would forgive them” (1 Nephi 7:16-20).  Their repentance allowed the family to continue on their difficult journey.  Something similar happened on their voyage across the ocean.  They tied Nephi up and were at first willing to let him die.  When Laman and Lemuel realized that their actions had brought the judgments of God upon them and they would soon all be lost at sea, they finally “soften[ed] their hearts” and let Nephi go.  It may not have been a complete repentance, but Laman and Lemuel’s willingness to finally soften their hearts saved their family and certainly brought peace.  These two examples and others in the scriptures show the power of repentance to bless families.