The shirt. I once had a shirt I loved. It was blue and white striped (sentimental colors to a BYU grad). One day it was thrown in the wash with a bunch of dark clothing. When I pulled it out the dark colors from some item had bled onto it, staining the white stripes. I was devastating, my favorite shirt was ruined. I could no longer wear the shirt comfortably in public.
Nonetheless, because I loved the shirt, I continued to wear it at home. After several years of wear and wash the stains started to dull until, amazingly, one day I noticed the stains were completely gone, white was white and blue was blue with no trace of the dark stain. I was thrilled to have my shirt back again in it unblemished, if not slightly worn condition.
The stain of error. We are all great people, Heavenly Father really likes us all and is proud that we have made it this far in life.
May I liken you all to a shirt, not any shirt, but a favorite shirt of your Heavenly Father. You have come with particular care instructions found in the strength of youth or similar publication. You know there are certain things you must do to keep yourself clean. But unfortunately some of you may find yourself hanging out with crowds of dark characters and such association might cause you to become stained and tinged. You will feel that tinge and may want to hide under another sweater. Some things are an easy fix, a Tide stick can clean it up, but serious stains are hard to get rid of, but over time they can be washed away. However, there is that element of time. A friend was said to me that Time is your best and worst friend. With time healing but come, but it does take time and one must live with the pain, the disappointment the embarrassment that the stain causes us. But like my shirt, with time the stain can be completely washed away with the cleansing power of the Atonement. And we may all be the favorite shirt again, though slightly wiser and maybe even more beloved because of the wear.
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