Sins That Become Merits
Teshuvah done out of love does not only erase a person's sins; it turns them into merits.
Reish Lakish teaches: Great is teshuvah. When a person returns to Hashem out of fear, his deliberate sins are counted only as mistakes, as the navi Hoshea says that Israel has stumbled in its sin. But when a person returns out of love, his deliberate sins are counted as merits, for the navi Yechezkel says that when the wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is right, he shall live through them. A person who comes home out of love takes everything he once did wrong and makes it part of his return. The distance he travelled, the lessons he learned and the strength he discovered all become the fuel of his avodah. No one embodied this more than Reish Lakish himself, whose fierce strength as a robber became the fire of his Torah.
Source: Gemara Yoma 86b (on Hoshea 14:2 and Yechezkel 33:19)
Choose one trait you are not proud of, such as a sharp tongue, impatience or stubbornness. This week, look for one way to use that same trait for good: a sharp tongue can defend someone being mocked, impatience can push a stalled mitzvah project forward, stubbornness can keep a daily learning seder going. In the brachah of Hashiveinu in Shemoneh Esrei, ask Hashem to help you return out of love, with everything you are.