Skip to main content

Forgiveness

Today at church I heard a definition of forgiveness that I'd never heard nor even thought about before, and it stuck out a LOT at me: "Forgiveness is repentance for a failure to love."

Love who?  Love of God.  Love of others.  Love of self.  We are our own worst critics, and often the hardest person to forgive is ourself.  But as we learn to love ourselves, we learn to love God, and to forgive ourselves, implementing the Atonement in our lives.  As we learn to love God, and love as God loves, we are more open to speedy forgiveness of others.  I think Nephi had this down...his own brothers tried to take his life, and he "swiftly forgave" them.  That is just incredible.  And often we are slow to forgive (others and ourselves) for even trivial matters that really don't matter in the eternal scheme of things.

As we learn to love others, we automatically learn to expand out capacity to forgive.  And that brings blessings beyond compare!!!!!!  What a great gift this is, both to us and to others, from others, ourselves, and most importantly, from God.  It is such a great feeling to be forgiven, to realize that others love us, to realize that they understand our imperfections and know that through the Atonement, Christ fills in our shortcomings, perfecting us through His mercy and love.  It is great to feel that others recognize the change that happens in us and in our hearts.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shades of Gray

Sometimes you think you've seen and heard it all. You look back on your life and think, "wow, I've been through everything." And you realize that you've been friendless, lost people close to you to the dreaded cancer, pretty much failed a class, missed work entirely, didn't know how you were going to pay your bills, been rejected by people you liked, felt lost and aimless, been rejected twice from the dream you've been dreaming, had the car die on you more times than you can count, and the list goes on. On the other hand, you've got amazing friends, the gospel in life, a positive and optimistic outlook, had the opportunity to be an EFY counselor, have an amazing family, travelled a ton, finally found what you want to do with your education, and the list goes on longer than the first. And then you think, again, "wow, I really HAVE been through everything!" And you think you know how to deal with anything that might come your way, because ...
3 comments
Read more

Greased Lightning

It's snowing today! And what a great day it's been...minus the fact that I haven't finished nearly as much as I should have by now. But I DID go outside and play in the snow...and that's important! The snow was fresh in the tree....so I did what any little kid would do, and licked it. It was snow AND ice...good thing my tongue didn't freeze to the tree in my front yard! I love tree branches in the snow. There's just something about the combination of brown and pure white that strikes my artistic bone. Part of the tree and part of my house. Looking up Pennichuck Street. So picturesque. Me in my getup...I borrowed Michael's boots because I don't have any in NH (except for my cowboy boots....), and he gave me his snowshoeing boots, because they each weight like 5 pounds, and he just wanted to see me try to walk in them. My sunglasses made a comeback! Well, that's today. I've got a couple papers to write for English 316, and a bunch of Bio to r...
3 comments
Read more

Hamlet

One of my favorite scenes from Hamlet (which is probably my favorite of Shakespeare's plays) is right after Polonius is murdered. I love the literal yet sarcastic reply Hamlet gives to King Claudius at his inquiry to the location of Polonius. KING CLAUDIUS Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius? HAMLET At supper. KING CLAUDIUS At supper! where? HAMLET Not where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but to one table: that's the end. KING CLAUDIUS Alas, alas! HAMLET A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and cat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. KING CLAUDIUS What dost you mean by this? HAMLET Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar.
2 comments
Read more