Examples of Forgiveness in the BOM (talk in sacrament meeting April 2014)

Good morning! So, the last time I gave a talk I believe I was a Beehive in Young Women-I miraculously got out of every assignment given to me since then, until now! Great job Brother Truett for not letting me get off so easy! Today my talk is on the many Examples of Forgiveness in the Book of Mormon. To help illustrate this, I’ll share a couple personal stories as well several quotes from church leaders that I felt were appropriate for this topic. Throughout my life, there have been struggles within my family (immediate and extended) dealing with forgiveness. As with most broken home families, there are a lot of instances where the hurt from the divorce affects the entire family. It has taken the majority of my life to forgive those who have hurt not only myself, but those that I love most. With as large of a family as I have, gossip is VERY easy to come by. Words have been said that have broken hearts, actions and lack of actions hurt feelings, and unity within the family wavered. This past summer my sister Camille and I had the opportunity to go out to Utah for a family reunion. Little did we know that this would be a life-changing event. Being around siblings neither of us have had an opportunity to really get to know due to age differences and distance between us, we learned first-hand that heart-break through divorce is universal. At this family gathering, we were all able to sit together in our cabin with our father and discuss the internal trauma that has been affecting us our entire lives. Although it was difficult, being able to confess feelings and express our emotions with everyone together made it easier. This one day didn’t cause everyone to forgive right then and there, but it was a motion put into progress that helped the healing process to bloom. In the long run, this one instance has not only helped Camille and I appreciate our wonderful family, but it has mended a bridge between the remainder of the family as well. Forgiving those who have hurt us can be difficult, but as President Thomas S. Monson once said in one of my favorite talks titled Hidden Wedges, “The spirit must be freed from tethers so strong and feelings never put to rest, so that the lift of life may give buoyancy to the soul. In many families, there are hurt feelings and a reluctance to forgive. It doesn’t really matter what the issue was. It cannot and should not be left to injure. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals.” In the talk, To Be Free of Heavy Burdens by Richard G. Scott states: “You may be carrying a heavy burden of feeling injured by another who has seriously offended you. Your response to that offense may have distorted your understanding so that you feel justified in waiting for that individual to ask forgiveness so that the pain can leave. The Savior dispelled any such thought when He commanded: …‘I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men’ [D&C 64:10].” Ronald E. Poelman said, “The best source through which a correct understanding of how forgiveness may be obtained is the Book of Mormon. Let us consider some examples of its teachings. Enos recorded for us his experience, alone in the forest, remembering the words of his father concerning eternal life: “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; … “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee. … “… Wherefore, my guilt was swept away. “And I said: Lord, how is it done? “And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ” (Enos 1:4–8). How is it done? The question each of us may ponder. Again we turn to the Book of Mormon for additional understanding. Father Lehi teaches us that the divine purpose of our mortal probation requires us to experience opposition in all things and, knowing good from evil, to exercise our moral agency, make choices, and be accountable for the consequences (see 2 Ne. 2). We learn from the prophet Alma that we are subject to divine law, which all have transgressed in some respect, making us subject to the demands of justice (see Alma 42:14, 18). God’s justice is based upon divine laws, under which we receive what we deserve according to our disobedience or obedience to the law. Justice affords no forgiveness for transgressors but imposes penalties (see D&C 82:4). None is exempt (see D&C 107:84). After all we can do to repent, we are still subject to the demands of justice and its penalties, which we cannot satisfy. However, we learn from Alma of our Father’s plan of mercy, whereby the Son of God would atone for the sins of the world and “appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also” (Alma 42:15). Like most teenagers, I was difficult! I yelled at my siblings, threw MANY temper tantrums, rebelled against my parents’ wishes, and even rebelled a bit in terms of the church a little later on in life. Lucky for me, I was blessed with a caring and loving family and a VERY patient and compassionate Heavenly Father! There were instances in my life in which I thought I would never be forgiven. A dark and desolate path far from the straight and narrow, I was on a lonely road leading to nowhere good. However, I was never really alone. No one is. In the times where we think we have gone to the brink of no return, that’s where we are the most surrounded. In my situation, I was blessed with angels whom Heavenly Father placed in my life to help guide me, now known as my closest friends. While in the process of turning my life around, one of these friends quoted this talk given by Richard G. Scott in the October 2000 conference. “If you have repented from serious transgression and mistakenly believe that you will always be a second-class citizen in the kingdom of God, learn that is not true. The Savior said: ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. ‘By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins–behold, he will confess them and forsake them.’ Find encouragement in the lives of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah. They were tragically wicked. Yet their full repentance and service qualified them to be considered as noble as righteous Captain Moroni. To you who have sincerely repented yet continue to feel the burden of guilt, realize that to continue to suffer for sins when there has been proper repentance and forgiveness of the Lord is prompted by the master of deceit. Lucifer will encourage you to continue to relive the details of past mistakes, knowing that such thoughts can hamper your progress. Thus he attempts to tie strings to the mind and body so that he can manipulate you like a puppet to discourage personal achievement.” Jefferey R. Holland said this in a conference talk back in April of 2012 in regards to the parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard found in Matthew 20 : “This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it. I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines. Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. “Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,”3 and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast “without money and without price”4 at the table of the Lord." I have a testimony of this church. I KNOW that it is true. I am SO grateful for our Father’s mercy and the great sacrifice our brother and savior Jesus Christ made in order for all of us to return home to our heavenly family. I am forever thankful for those who stood by my side in those times of anguish that inspired me to be the woman I am today. We are so blessed to have a living prophet today that counsels us and provides the guidance we need in these latter days. I am thrilled to know that each of us has an opportunity to right the wrongs in our lives and repent of our mistakes. I know this all to be true, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ our savior and redeemer, Amen.