The mist of Darkness

In reading about Lehi's vision on the Tree of Life, Patty and i had a really good discussion about the mist of darkness. It speaks of falling away and repentance being the way back to the rod. But how do you find your way back? When you repent, does the mist lift long enough for you to see your way back. My theory is that when we repent, God is able to see the Godly sorrow we have in our hearts and it is at that point that he sends Jesus to  us to be our savior. Jesus is the light that can help us see through the mist and is then able to grab hold of us and guide us back to the rod. Which brings everything full circle for me because as we repent and show godly sorrow we are grabbing hold of the atonement god has provided for us in his son.