Forgiveness

Forgiveness 

August 27- September 2, 2018 

 We finished another full week of classes. This second week I felt a little overconfident about being familiar with the schedule and what was coming up, and especially, classes starting at 10 and 11. I thought I had it this week, I really did. But I didn’t. Next week, I’ll be back to going to school early to be sure I actually study in the mornings. Apparently, there’s no shorting the 50+ hour work week in law school without having a Saturday freak out for being hopeless behind.

 On a positive note (?), I studied forgiveness as my topic this week. I’m not sure how I came up with it, and I’m thinking it came up with me. Forgiveness is one of those things that we not only always need from each other and ourselves, but I think at any given time if we stop and consider it there are those who need it from us. It’s a tough one. Studying all of these different criminal and tort cases for school it is sometimes incomprehensible the horrible things that happen to people and that they do to each other. When you consider it, the idea of forgiveness seems almost impossible. And in perspective, I feel a little ridiculous about my own issues that I struggle to forgive that are so small in comparison. It reminded me of this story I saw years ago.

 

 Forgiveness is an important value, principle and action. It frees us from carrying a heavy burden that we are not capable and were not meant to bear. Forgiveness is not easy and is rarely instantaneous. President Faust once said, “Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiveness…Yet such a delay causes us to forfeit peace and happiness that could be ours.”

Our natural response is to be angry or vengeful when someone wrongs us or our family or friends. President Faust went on to say, “We need to recognize and acknowledge angry feelings. It will take humility to do this, but if we get on our knees and ask Heavenly Father for a feeling of forgiveness, He will help us. … Only as we rid our selves of hatred and bitterness can the Lord put comfort into our hearts.”

 Elder Sorenson once shared, “It can feel as if the pain or the injustice is the most important thing in the world and that we have no choice but to see vengeance….It can be very difficult to forgive someone the harm they’ve done us, but wen we do, we open ourselves up to a better future. No longer does someone else’s wrong doing control our course.”

 The Savior was persecuted, tortured, ridiculed, and killed. He forgave those responsible. From Judas, who betrayed him, to the roman soldiers that hung him on the cross. During His ministry there are numerous examples of his forgiveness. He saw more in people than they saw in themselves, and beyond what other men could see. He knew who they were, He knew who He was and this allowed him to “frankly forgive.”

 Being able to frankly or perfect forgive will likely be a lifelong pursuit for the rest of us. In the grand view of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness, forgiveness isn’t ours to refuse. The Savior has said, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” D&C 64:10

 We are promised that we will be strengthened in our efforts to forgive others, that we will find peace as we seek it through prayer. President Faust also shared that, “If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of self-esteem and well-being.” And last April, Elder Echo Hawk shared this, “We can all receive unspeakable peace and partnering with our Savior as we learn to freely forgive those who have trespassed against us. This partnering brings the Savior’s power into our lives in an unmistakable and never to be forgotten way.”

 There is a way to achieve it. It may not be easy, it may take time and prayer, and especially faith. It especially will take utilizing the Atonement of the Savior to lean upon Him who has suffered all our heartaches, pains and sorrows. And through the process we will be made stronger, we will learn to love, we will show that we are disciples of Jesus Christ as we follow his example and teachings.

 I trust in this. I’ve begun working on it for myself this week, to let go of disappointments and grief and anger toward those who I feel have wronged my family and caused me to fail in my efforts to help. I can see now that it is blinding me from what I need to learn, it has been pulling my focus away from learning everything I am at law school to learn. So, from now on I will remember it as the catalyst I needed to push me to come to law school, and I will use the experience to learn what it takes to be an ethical, hardworking-for-every client, good attorney. And hopefully along the way when I make a mistake, someone will forgive me too.