May God help each and every one of us to remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not only a gospel of conversion, but it is a gospel of forgiveness…There is nothing that will bring us more of the Spirit of God than to be kind, considerate, charitable, long-suffering and forgiving. There is nothing that will bring more joy to us than to be ready and willing to forgive the trespasses of our neighbors against us, and there is nothing that will bring more condemnation to us than to harden our hearts and to be bitter and vindictive in our feelings towards those by whom we are surrounded. (President Heber J. Grant, seventh Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
There’s an object lesson about forgiveness that many of us are familiar with. It requires a backpack, a couple of bricks, and a class of willing young men or women. For this lesson on forgiveness, the bricks represent the burden that we carry around when we are unforgiving of others or even of ourselves. Removing the bricks from the backpack immediately lightens the load. When we forgive, we are literally letting go of the ‘bricks of anger and hate’ that can weigh us down.
All of us have probably felt offended at one time or another in our lives. We’ve all had to forgive others and others have had to forgive us. Sometimes, forgiveness is easy and almost instantaneous. Other times, forgiving can be very hard. There are also times when the offense appears to be almost unforgivable, at least in our eyes. If you are one who had to carry such a burden around for awhile then you understand how heavy such a load can be. If you are one who was able to forgive such a trespass, then you’ve also felt what it was like to have such a weight lifted from your shoulders. You know what it feels like to be free from the chains of an unforgiving heart. You’ve felt the immediate sense of peace and happiness that comes when you finally forgive with all your heart.
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
You may be carrying a heavy burden of feeling injured by another who has seriously offended you. Your response to that offense may have distorted your understanding so that you feel justified in waiting for that individual to ask forgiveness so that the pain can leave…
Don’t carry the burden of offense any longer. Genuinely ask forgiveness of one that has offended you, even when you consider you have done no wrong. That effort will assuredly bring you peace and will likely begin the healing of serious misunderstandings.
As Christians, we know that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ gave us the greatest example of forgiveness. He also commanded us to forgive:
Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.(D&C 64:9-10)
I read recently of this great and wondrous gift of forgiveness by members of the Catholic faith towards those of my faith. The inappropriate behavior by those of my faith who should have known better saddened and angered us as well. What a beautiful example our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ showed with their forgiveness. If we could all be as forgiving of each other, how much happier and peaceful would we all be in these troubled times?
I’ve often been plagued with feelings of anger towards those that defile that which is sacred to my faith. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally known as the Mormon Church), I’ve had to walk silently by as others waved our sacred garments in the air just a few feet from me. During General Conference, even there we are accosted by many that mock our beliefs. I’ve had to ask my children to sing a Primary song with me to drown out those that yell and wave signs that demean our leaders and beliefs when we attended the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti,Utah and the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York.
Did I have anger in my heart? Yes, but then I immediately realized that by allowing such feelings to linger and grow in me, I was doing exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught. And so like my Catholic brothers and sisters, I forgave and by doing so was able to feel the peace and happiness that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to each of us.
