As part of his teachings on forgiveness, President Kimball frequently taught the concept that we must forgive to be forgiven. In a previous blog, we have discussed why the Lord might make it so. However, as I have studied the concepts of forgiveness, I have always wondered what I would do in a truly terrible situation.
I have four small children. I think I could forgive any harm done to me, be it injury of the physical or emotional kind. However, as I look at my little ones, I wonder if I would be strong enough to forgive anything done to them. As an example, someone our family knows was convicted of molesting children. I immediately reviewed any time that they might have been alone with our kids. Fortunately, they had never been. At that time, however, I wondered how I would have reacted had something happened. Would I be able to forgive them? Similarly, what if someone killed one of my children by accident? Although I can wrap my mind around the logical reasons for needing forgiveness, I am not sure I trust myself to be spiritually mature enough to quickly forgive, even when I know that I need to.
As I studied the scriptures in President Kimball’s lesson, I found myself on a happy scripture chase. Let me show you the chain I developed and see if you can take from it what I did. I started in Moroni 7:8, where I was touched by the second footnote, based around the word grudgingly. This led me to D&C 64:34, where I studied the idea of being willing. Then came the scriptures that really stood out:
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 2 Cor. 8: 12
Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me. D&C 97:8
In short, the Lord does not require that we run faster than we are able, or that we give things we do not have. When we take the sacrament, we do not covenant to keep the commandments; we covenant that we are willing to keep the commandments. He asks us to sincerely be striving to do these things. He understands that there are hurdles and difficulties, that we are human and imperfect. He asks only that we be continually striving to overcome these hurdles; that every time our foot catches on one and we skid into the dirt, we pick ourselves up and keep trying.
Sometimes, we struggle to forgive out of pride; someone has hurt our feelings or dinged our ego. Other times, something sincerely hurtful was done. While I pray that I never find myself in a situation where I might learn how great my capacity to forgive might be, I take comfort in the fact that even when I struggle, the Lord knows my heart and my desires. He will walk with me every step of the way, through whatever pain I may encounter, until I reach the point where I am sincerely able to forgive.
But He can only walk with me if I keep willing myself to take the next step.
Related Articles:
Gospel Doctrine: Receiving What We Give
General Conference: And Nothing Shall Offend
For more articles on this (or next) week’s Relief Society/Elder’s Quorum lesson, click on the RS/EQ Lesson link to the left under ‘LDS Catagories’.