In The Art of Salvation, Elder Ephraim writes:
Let us follow the bright road of repentance! If we sincerely repent, God will accept our repentance and establish a new relationship with us. Many times due to the weight of sin, a person reaches the point of asking, “Can God possibly forgive me for what I have done?” To some extent, man has a point. He feels heavily burdened and wonders if God can lift so much weight.
For goodness’ sake! Do you think that Christ our God, the ocean of compassion and mercy, is incapable of lifting the weight of one sinful soul? What is a handful of sand when thrown in the ocean? It is nothing; it disappears. Does even a single grain remain visible on the surface of the water? Not at all. This is precisely what happens with all the sins of humanity. They are a zero in comparison to the abyss of God’s compassion. This is even more true with the sins of only one soul!
The enemy of man’s salvation, however, the devil, comes from the right and advises the soul, “There’s no way that you will be forgiven!” He pressures and oppresses the soul in order to drive it to the crime of suicide. We should never believe such a thing, even if we commit crimes every day. We should never lose hope. No matter what we do, no matter how far we fall, no matter how often we are injured and hurt—we should never ever despair or lose hope!
Oftentimes thoughts of doubt persist: “How long will God wait for me?” Rest assured that as long as God is allowing you to live, it is a guarantee from Him that He is waiting for you! You cannot deny God the prerogative to wait for your repentance. With this hope and courage in mind, let us approach the majestic throne of God’s grace.
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