Don't go under the Tank.

I read a rather interesting book once.  It was written by a Vietnam War Vet and his experiences.  The writer was in a tank crew, and every new replacement was told to never sleep under the tank.  It rained constantly in Vietnam, it was tempting to go underneath the tank for protection.  For their own health and safety it was told not to go under.  One threat was bullets would ricochet off the thick metal.  But there was one a little more subtle.  One night, a new soldier decided he wanted to get out of the rain and decided to go under the tank, despite the constant warning not to.  As it continued to rain he feel asleep.  The next morning, the Sergent started looking for him and couldn't find him.  With the possibility of an enemy attack and they delayed the search for a couple hours.  After the threat passed, the writer began calling for the soldier only to hear a call for help behind the tank.  They soon discovered the soldier pinned underneath the tank as it was slowly, but surely, sank into the mud.  He was unable to get out.  The Sergent and the driver proceeded to drive the tank off the soldier.  It was incredibly painful for them to get the tank off the soldier.  Part of the tank ended up being dragged across the soldier.  When they got the tank off him, he was still alive.  But his clothes were in shreds, and he was skinned and bloody.

The world would pressure us to "get under the tank".  It will rain ideas to us which are exciting, but unhealthy.  They will seem appealing and exciting, but it results in pain and misery.  You will hear things like: dress immodestly, indulge in drugs and alcohol, look at pornography, each pushing you towards that which is degrading and unstable.  Slowly, but surely, the weight of our choices eventually sinks down on top of us, pinning us down making it hard to progress.  It is very easy to escape the rain by going under the world's wing.  The world will then put us to "sleep" so that you don't realize what it is doing to you.  Have you noticed ads involving drinking or smoking?  They do a great job at making it look fun, safe, and exciting.  It will also make you think you are in complete control.  But it reality it steals your ability to chose wisely leaving you in miserable and in with a dangerous consequence (2 Nephi 26:22).  If the soldier was awake, he would have noticed that his space was getting smaller and smaller.  He would have left his shrinking space.  But he fell asleep and couldn't escape.  Not without the painful experience of having that tank dragged across him.

The Prophet Alma talks about being "harrowed up to the greatest and racked with all (his) sins."  Acts that he had done brought incredible misery to his soul.  What does harrowed mean?  A harrow is a tool used by farmers to break up the ground.  It is dragged behind a tractor.  Imagine having one of those dragged over you. It would hurt.  Sin is like a harrow, it breaks apart our soul.  Sin, or the act of doing wrong, does not bring good, it leaves us in a broken miserable state.  You can say your soul would look like that soldier after having that tank dragged across him. A mess.  But there is hope.  Alma, in his anguish called upon God begging for forgiveness for the things he had done wrong.  His burden was lifted off him and his joy was as great as his pain and he couldn't remember it anymore.  Repentance helped relive the pain he felt as he cast his burden upon the Savior.  So long as we repent and sin no more, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is able to lift our troubled soul out of captivity of the devil.  This makes our joy greater than our pain.  Strive to follow the example of the Savior and allow his Atonement to work inside you.

Wrong doing is painful to get out of.  Unless you stop the behavior before it settles in.  If you are guilty of doing something wrong stop immediately.  If you have been doing it for some time, seek help and get out.  It may be hard and painful, but it is better than being crushed by your guilt and is worth the few scrapes and bruises to stop.

How do you repent? Click here.

Still not enough?  Maybe this will help: