Pizza and Repentance

We went to small pizza parlor one night for dinner and somehow started talking about baptism while we ate. I asked Seth and Jonah why we are baptized. They focused on having our sins washed away. I think it is fascinating, even for a young child, to think about sins being washed away. Children know they make mistakes and make wrong choices sometimes. Then the boys asked if we can be baptized again. Meaning later when they've chalked up a few more sins. I told them they don't need to because they can repent. I reassured them that everyone makes mistakes. We just try our best and repent.

Jonah asked, "How?" I started to talk about praying to Heavenly Father and saying sorry, etc. He stopped me and said again, "How?" So then I talked about the Atonement and how Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and He can take our sins away so we are clean again. Jonah said, "But Mom, HOW does it WORK? How does it Wooooork?" I had to stop and think. What is this kid asking? Kyle just looked at me and said, "you're doing great." I think what Jonah wanted to know was, how does the atonement literally transfer over into my body and soul and clean my sin away? I don't have an answer to his question other than to agree that, yes, repentance and the atonement are REAL. There is literally something that happens just like at baptism. I think baptism is such a visual thing and so Jonah could understand how that could wash away sin. He figures there must be something similar - real and physical every time we repent. And I think there is!