Forgiveness

A crying woman,

Kneeling in prayer.

The touch of a hand

Gently rests on her hair.

The woman looks up

With tears in her eyes,

But she can see no one

From earth to the skies.

She knows Someone is there,

Who has forgotten the past.

She has been made new;

Forgiven--at last!

~Christine P. Stewart*                                               

  

 

      Forgiveness. What a wonderful thing!  To be forgiven means to have mercy shown.  It means that no matter what has been done, everything is erased and a clean, new beginning is given.  And forgiveness is not a one-time opportunity.  It can be used every day, even multiple times in a day.  Every mistake, every wrong choice, every bad habit can be removed from the heavenly record.  Oh, what a blessing mercy is!

 

      However, there is a law of Heaven that does not allow justice to be cheated.  Mercy serves only one end of the deal: the one not fulfilled.  Justice says that both sides must receive what both agreed upon.  Both must get what each deserves, good or bad.  The consequences and punishments must be met.

 

      How then can mercy be shown and justice served?  The two sides only contend; one begging for mercy and the other demanding justice.  Neither can be satisfied, yet both must.  The transgressor has to be forgiven, or he will die.  The Master must be fully served, or the law cannot be obeyed.  There is only one way for all to be gratified.  That way is through a Mediator.

 

      To fully serve justice and truly show mercy, there must be a third party willing to pay the one and forgive the other.  In the great bargain of Life, Jesus Christ serves as our Savior; He redeems us from our sins and fulfills the law of justice.  He suffered even unto death for us in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary.  Because of that selfless and love-driven Atonement, we do not have to pay for our mistakes.  When we need Him, He is there. Always.  All of us have free and constant access to the wonderful love and forgiveness described in the poem above.  The only thing required is our action--our decision to ask and our humble repentance.  If we promise to change, to do better, God will take our sins and forget about them.  They will be made glorious through the Grace of Christ.

 

      Because we are given this wonderful gift, we must likewise share the blessing.  We need to show mercy and forgiveness to all of our fellow men.   You do not need to expect that someone will come to save the one who is asking for your forgiveness, or otherwise you cannot give it; because not only does Christ pay the Father for the sins of the world, but He also will repay you for the mercy you show.

 

      My prayer is that we will follow the perfect and everlasting example of our Savior and Brother, Jesus Christ, and serve our fellow children of God with compassionate and forgiving hearts.  May we always look to Him in our times of need and of plenty; may we come to Him for help and to show gratitude.  I know He loves more deeply than our mortal minds can comprehend; I have felt that love in my life and I am eternally thankful for it.  I hope each one who reads this will know that God cares for them.  He has a special part of His love that is dedicated just for you.  Do not hesitate to come to Him and partake of His love and wonderful blessing.  There is no greater demand in this world than the need for God's love light to be shared and distributed.  I, for one, will do all I can to be a messenger of His endless love and mercy.

 

 

 

 

*Nom de plume.  (A.k.a. Patty Morford.)

Thought Flow

      They usually call it a train of thought, but I've ridden a train, and it's so rough and bumpy with unexpected turns and stops.  And yes, thought is sometimes like that. But right now I'm just going to type and let my thoughts flow.  This is one way I ponder: I just let myself think, and see where my thoughts take me.

      Right now I'm having some hard times. We all go through them.  Sometimes trials come from no fault of our own and there's nothing we can do about it, and sometimes our stupidity and human flaws cause these hard things for us.  This time I think my own hardheadedness has gotten in the way of things going well for me.  I can't help but feel very strongly that because I am unwilling to let go of certain feelings, unpleasant things are happening to help me learn.  Things that are affecting not only me but many around me.  I may not be the only reason for this trial, but I still feel that my mistakes are part of it.

      I want to make excuses. I want to point fingers and blame others. But I can't shy away from those three fingers pointing back at me.  When it comes to unwanted situations, I don't want to carry the responsibility of the blame.  I don't want to have to deal with the fact that it's my fault. But no matter what, any situation I am in, good or bad, is my fault.  My natural desire is for that to not be the case; but it is.  I know we are here on this earth to overcome the natural and obtain the glorious.  I naturally want to push off my duty and hide, but in my heart I spiritually desire to do right.  What I want most is to be like God.  My greatest fear is that at the last day I will finally be kept from the presence of my loving Heavenly Father.  I don't ever want to not be with Him.

      I had a dream about 7 years ago that I have shared with some people to whom I have been inspired to tell it.  One thing about it I can tell anyone: in that dream I was shown a small fraction of how it feels to truly be touched by God and His love.  It is a feeling I never want to lose.

      And yet, though I possess this wonderful memory, I do not feel that. I cannot sense His love as strongly or as often as I wish I did. There was a time not too long ago when I never felt His absence; His Spirit was with me constantly. But because of human nature and mortal life I have lost that. I have lost it; but I can find it again. I will find it again. I will work and pray and ask God to come back for me. I will not allow myself to fall behind.  I will pick myself up and move forward. I know that Heavenly Father will help me as soon as I put in enough effort. I will not allow myself to become discouraged any longer.  I will cease to be faithful in word only. As Elder L. Whitney Clayton said, "[My] actions are the evidence of [my] belief."*  "You cannot become without doing."**

      I will do. I will act.   My life will be better and closer to God.  Someone I greatly admire once said that he "patterns his life after his example of love and sacrifice."  I will follow his example and do the same. My example (and probably his as well) is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

     The other day I was able to learn a bit more about the life of Joan of Arc.  The two years from the time she told of her divine calling to her death were truly in similitude of the Savior's life.  As I watched the story of Joan, I could not help but feel that I am not much different from she.  I have a mission. I have a purpose. I do not yet know exactly what it is I am meant to do, but I am working to be able to communicate with God as she did.  I pray that I will one day be as close to the Lord as she. I believe that if I work for it, that dream will someday be realized.

*Actual quote: "Our actions are the evidence of our belief."

**A quote from President Brad Bylund, President of the Goshen Utah Stake.

Choices

      "Do this. Do that. Oh, don't forget that. What about this?  Don't you want that?"  Opposing voices.  Confusion. Doubt.

      Decision:  n. a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
      Let's examine the different parts of this definition.

            "Conclusion"

      This word speaks of finality.  The end.  When you have reached a conclusion, you have completed your contemplation.  No turning back; you have finished.  There is a kind of fear that comes with this thought, is there not?  It seems as though we tend to be afraid of the end.  It means that it can't be changed; and we're not confident with our power to make the best decision.  That creates hesitation in our minds and hearts when it comes to making a choice.

            "Resolution Reached"
      This makes me think of a compliance, as if there was a disagreement that has come to a compromise. It is a reconciliation of opposing opinions.  When different parties combine ideas to form a final agreement.  But both of these have addressed the end of the decision-making process.  What about the process itself?

            "After Consideration"
      Before any decision is reached, there is some deliberation.  It is inevitable.  It may take hours or days or more, or it may require the smallest fraction of a moment.  It may occupy our thoughts constantly, or it may pass without being consciously noticed; but nevertheless, consideration occurs.  And this is the most important part of making a decision.

      I believe that we are not the result of our circumstances. I believe that we have the power to choose who we are to be.  I believe that God has a purpose for each of us, but I also believe that He has given us the power to choose whether or not we will follow the path He has laid out for us. There are so many voices that speak to us.  Some bad, some good, some better, some worse.  And in the middle of it all, we are capable of choosing our actions.  Nothing forces us to do anything. Sometimes we give that excuse; sometimes we truly feel that way.  But in reality, nothing can influence us unless we allow it to do so.  That freedom of choice is called agency.
      The word agency comes from the Latin root ag- which is the root of agere, which means to do, act, or manage.
      Therefore, we are our own masters (Latin for "master": ageto.  Same root!).  We control our own actions and choices.  I can choose who I am. I can decide what I do.  I have the power to think and reason so I can come to the right conclusion.  And I know that this power is from God.

Strength

      Is strength something that can be measured? Is it matter? Is it thought?  Does it really exist at all?

      There was a man who was hiking. Something happened and he ended up with his arm stuck under a boulder, trapping him.  He was alone; no communication with anyone else.  He was faced with two choices: free his arm, or die in solitude.  Now, who would choose the second option?  He of course was determined that he would not die there.  The boulder was several times bigger than he, and weighed even more than that.  He could not move it, especially lying down and pushing with one arm.  It seemed his only option then was to use his pocket knife to get rid of his trapped arm so he could go down the mountain and get help.  So that's what he did.
      Would he have had the strength to do that in any other situation?  Like if he was sitting at home in his rocking chair?  I know I wouldn't, and I don't think he would, either.  So what gave him that strength?  It looks like he didn't have it in the first place.  Do things like strength and bravery just come when you need them?  Do they originate from chemicals like adrenaline in your brain? Or is preparation required?

      I think that far within us, there is a core of strength.  It is who we are; we are strong.  But sometimes we don't need that strength. Sometimes it's not necessary to call upon that for support.  We think that because we don't appear to be "strong", we aren't.  But that is a great untruth.  Genuine strength is not an amount of muscle.  It's not really even something you can always see.  Real strength is God.  We are His children.  We have a part of Him inside us.  And that is our strength.  He is the one who bears us up; He gives us support when we feel weak.   He is the one who grants us that extra boost when all normal strength is gone.  He makes it possible for us to perform an act that is otherwise impossible and far beyond our own strength.  He provides help for others through us.
      But to be free to call upon that strength when we need it, we have to prepare.  God cannot be with those who do not bring themselves to Him.  Just like the way we won't gain muscle by sitting on the couch, we won't have God's support and trust if we don't work for it.  May we be worthy of His Divine help in our times of need, and be prepared to be His instrument in the service of others when they are weak.