14 - Tabula Rasa

            One thing that I am grateful for is a chance for a new beginning. I don’t remember where I learned it from but the Latin phrase Tabula Rasa has been a slogan for me. In English, Tabula Rasa means a “blank slate.” In this life we can make so many mistakes. Mistakes for the most part are not bad. They are part of learning and part of growing. But there are even some mistakes that we make that we know could have been prevented. Those are the mistakes that are bad.

            Sometimes in my life I have felt that there are some mistakes that I can never get rid of, some that I cannot make up for. But that is not true. A Tabula Rasa has been made for us. A blank slate can be started on again. This is possible through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ made it possible for all of us to be forgiven of our sin by His Atonement. When He atoned for our sins or for our mistakes, He paid the price for our sins and promised us that if we follow Him, He would give us a new start, a clean slate, a Tabula Rasa. Oh how grateful I am for that. I am so grateful that I can start again and be clean.

Most of the Tabula Rasa are mad out of clay or wax. When you write into them, it stays there after the clay has hardened. In my mind the memories of my past mistakes are like these hardened tablets on a shelf. They remind me to not make those mistakes again. When I repent and follow Jesus Christ, I am given a new tablet to start over, to make this tablet better than the one before it. I am so grateful for the chance to start over and I am so grateful for a Savior that has given be that chance. Because of Him, I can be better.