Alma 22

"I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
"But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest" (15-16).

The king then prayed to God and said, "I will give away all my sins to know thee" (18).

Sometimes I think that when we repent that the Savior is taking away our sins. He is. But, we first have to offer them. Sometimes we value our sins and we want to hold on to them, even when you know it's bad. The Savior asked us to sacrifice something we shouldn't have anyways and He'll make us clean. Sometimes we love sin more then God.

It's like the monkey trap. The monkey sees something enticing and pleasureful, sticks his hand in and grabs it. However, as the hand forms a fist, the monkey can no longer escape. If the monkey would only let go of the object, he'd be free.

It's not an exact analogy, but it does get the point across. Would you rather hold onto your sin or be free? It's harder than you'd think to sacrifice a sin. Think of how hard it is to change a bad habit. It's a challenge. It's work. Sometimes you need help. But the reward is great. You get to know God better. You are free. You have the hope of eternal life. You receive great joy.

Sacrificing a sin is totally worth it. Even if it is hard.