A Hot Stove

Most of us try to avoid touching a hot stove, but if it happens we recognize the problem and withdraw our hand quickly. The pain prompts swift action, which keeps us from damaging ourselves any further. Who among us is going to leave their hand on the stove, and then try to convince themselves that it doesn't really hurt? Committing sin is like touching a hot stove. In normal cases, the pain of guilt leads to recognizing the sin, which in turn leads to repentance. This is exactly what Alma taught when he said, "Let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance" (Alma 42:29). Refusing to recongnize sin can only lead to anger and defiance. Which in turn, leads to justification. Instead of looking for help, we look for excuses.
In the context of touching a hot stove, lets consider some of the most common excuses for sin:
-Just one touch won't hurt.
-I'm afraid if I take my hand off I won't be able to leave it off.
-I deserve this.
-The only reaon I feel pain is because of my religious culture/heritage.
-But I was born with the desire to touch the stove.
-It's my parents' fault. They're the ones who bought the stove.
-No one told me touching the hot stove was bad.
-It may hurt, but at least I am touching it with someone I love.
-It's not like it's totally wrong. It's a gray area.
-Everyone else is touching it.
-I'll touch it if I want. It's my right. Nobody is going to tell me what to do or not do.
-Stove? What stove? I don't see any stove.
-I just don't care anymore. I'm numb to it.
-I know it's wrong, but I'll move my hand tomorrow.
-You can't go without touching the stove all the time.
-I've blown it now. I might as well touch it more.
-Those who don't touch it are so old-fashoned.
-At least it's just my hand and not my whole face.
-How will I know it hurts unless I touch it myself?
-At least the other stove touchers accept me and don't judge.
-There are others who touch it more than I do.
-If God didn't want me to touch the stove, He wouldn't have given me a hand.
We can obviously see how much easier it is to find excuses than to humbly go through the repentance process. In the mean time, excuses can't help us, can't sustain us, nor are they able to love us as our Father in Heaven does. "Do not endeavor to excuxe yourself in the least point because of your sins" (Alma 42:30)