#33: F is for Forgiveness

A while back I read a article in the Ensign called "Finding Peace Through Forgiveness".  The author talks about the difficulty of forgiving someone that hasn't had to face any consequences for their wrong actions. A couple of lines in the article really stood out to me when I read it but the article had slipped my mind until this morning when my companion found the same talk during her studies. Apparently I needed to be reminded of this talk for some reason so I'm sharing it with you (and no, I haven't been seriously--or even slightly--wronged lately....so don't worry about me).  :)

This is the section of the article that really caught my attention:

"Forgiveness was not primarily about restoring my relationship with the person who had offended me. Instead, its focus was restoring and improving my relationship with God. It was about trusting—really trusting—that He would take care of me and that He hadn’t allowed anything to happen to me that wouldn’t eventually work out for my benefit. Forgiveness centered on drawing close to Heavenly Father, understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and laying everything on the altar—and doing this cheerfully, with confidence that I was safe in Heavenly Father’s care."

How profound is that statement?! I had never thought about forgiveness in that light before but it makes perfect sense. No matter what happens to us we can find peace simply by strengthening our relationship with our Heavenly Father. As long as we have a relationship with God that is built on mutual trust, we can find the patience and strength to bear the trials and burdens that come our way. And we can find peace through knowing that Heavenly Father will always take care of us--always.

F is for Forgiveness