Forgiveness

Choice 2: 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

• The people are commanded to forgive those that hurt them, as well as love them. I think the second part of this commandment is the hardest. It's not something that is easily done. It's our human nature to hate someone when they have hurt us, whether they pushed us down on the playground, stole money from us or said something mean, we automatically don't like someone when we are wronged. But this is not the Lords way. We are commanded to love our neighbor. Jesus Christ LOVED those that crucified Him on the cross. He LOVES those that do wrong to us, so we must be like them and love them too. I don't believe that means you have to trust them again, or that the relationship will be the same, but we need to move on, and just be nice to people. Being nice is what it's all about.
• I think one of the main blessings we receive from forgiveness is peace. It's hard to hate someone. It takes a tole on our bodies. I think this is because it hurts our spirit to be angry with someone. When I was young, I had a family member hurt me deeply. It took me years to get over it, and in some ways, I'm still not over it. But eventually I came to understand the power of forgiveness and through help from my bishop, I was able to forgive them. It wasn't easy. I think often times the forgiveness process is very similar to the repentance process. It's long and hard, but at the end we are blessed with comfort and strength.
• One of the greatest dangers in refusing to forgive someone is that it hurts us in the long run. We are warned that if we do not forgive others, we cannot be forgiven. It's pointless to hold on to grudges because it doesn't affect the other person at all, just ourselves.