Sweet forgiving

Our sacrament hymn to day was "In Humility, Our Savior." I found myself thinking about the first two lines of the second verse:

"Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving;

Teach us tolerance and love."

It struck me that the sacrament is not just about obtaining forgiveness, but about learning to forgive others. I love those words "sweet forgiving." There is a sweetness that comes, not just when we are forgiven of our own sins, but also when we can let go of anger, pride, and hurt and forgive those who may have wronged us.

Just as I must pray for the Lord to forgive me of my sins, at times I have had to pray for the strength and humility to forgive another. Christ's atonement covers this, as well. And there is such a peace--indeed, sweetness--that comes from forgiving. Often when this is the case, the person may not even have realized that he/she had hurt me. But I have learned that when I choose to be hurt--well, quite frankly, it hurts! It doesn't hurt the other person. And it doesn't just leave me feeling emotionally down. Whether the other person is oblivious or unrepentant, choosing to harbor a grudge, to feel hurt or offended, hurts my spirit and drives away the Spirit of the Lord. I can't always turn around and be "buddies" with that person, but by letting go of my hurt and seeking the Lord's help to forgive, I find peace with myself and with the Lord. And this is the peace that I most need in my life. This is the peace that will allow me to draw nearer to Jesus Christ and to become more like Him. This is the peace that comes from following the Lord's teachings and inviting the Holy Ghost into my life: the peace that can come only through the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

As I thought about this, one of the speakers in sacrament meeting shared a couple of quotes that related very well. First was, "Anything we can change, we should change, and we must forgive the rest." Pretty self-explanatory. The other was Matthew 11:28-30:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

How easily this can be applied to forgiveness! And not just to giving up our own sins, but to forgiving others. When I do not forgive immediately, it really is as if I were carrying a heavy burden. I cannot feel happy. But as I choose to take Christ's yoke upon me, things change. I must still lift a burden, as it were. I must make an effort to let go, to forgive, even to love. I must pray for the strength to forgive. But as I take up the Lord's yoke instead of continuing to carry my own burden, I find peace and joy that can come only from following the counsel of the Lord. It looks difficult to change and to choose right, but as we do it, we are entitled to the help of the Lord and to the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and we learn that Christ's yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

Back to the words of the hymn:

In humility, our Savior,

Grant thy Spirit here, we pray,

As we bless the bread and water

In thy name this holy day.

Let me not forget, O Savior,

Thou didst bleed and die for me

When thy heart was stilled and broken

On the cross at Calvary.

Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving;

Teach us tolerance and love.

Let our prayers find access to thee

In thy holy courts above.

Then, when we have proven worthy

Of thy sacrifice divine,

Lord, let us regain thy presence;

Let thy glory round us shine.

How grateful I am for the atonement of Jesus Christ, for the knowledge that He has already borne my burdens: sins, sorrows, sicknesses, and anything else I may experience. I am grateful for a gospel of peace and love and forgiveness. I am grateful for the invitation to take His yoke upon me. I must demonstrate that I am willing to take His yoke upon me, but I also know that He will help and guide me as I do so. Jesus Christ lives, and He has overcome all things, that we might also overcome all things!