Forgiveness

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“May God help us to be a little kinder, showing forth greater forbearance, to be more forgiving, more willing to walk the second mile, to reach down and lift up those who may have sinned but have brought forth the fruits of repentance, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more” –-Gordon B Hinckley

Forgiveness…. may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed. There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern.”—Gordon B. Hinckley

”Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.”—Gordon B. Hinckley

Many times I have sat contemplating my life and my actions and I wonder, have I done anything that I need to ask forgiveness for? Most of the time I have either been very good, or oblivious of how I have hurt someone. People don’t always react strongly enough to tell they’ve been hurt. I didn’t know why my son in law stopped talking to me after one comment I innocently made till I heard his family’s history. I apologized and asked him to let me know when I said something stupid instead of holding a silent grudge.  Another time I made a comment about something someone had made. I said it was interesting. UT- OH! I knew right away I’d hurt her feelings but it took me a week to apologize and explain that I really did like it and I really did find it was an interesting method she had used.

On the other side of the situation, how easy is it to forgive others?

This has been such a difficult month, no year. Remember the church group last year who invited a young man to their prayer group. He prayed with them, learned with them, and shot them. Could I have forgiven him, as the congregation did?

And this month in Florida, when someone took his assault rifle into a night club and

started shooting. randomly killing fifty; why, because he didn’t like their lifestyle? Was it because he was mentally unbalanced?  Was it because he thought he had a cause to uphold? Can I forgive him? Not yet, I need to think about it more

Thomas S. Monson from the D&C teacher’s manual says,

“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So  is it with all the gifts of the Gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say, ’Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things and to give gifts that will eradicate them (Millennial Star, 23 April 1984 260).”

I hope you have a blessed and forgiving summer.