Personal Study , Jesus Christ , Perseverance

1 min read 

There are commandments we usually accept readily. Having faith, praying, serving, or trusting in God often sound hopeful, but there are other principles of the Gospel that confront us directly because they touch on real wounds . And probably one of the most difficult is forgiveness.

Jesus Christ did not speak of forgiveness as a suggestion for “more spiritual” people. He taught it as something essential for His disciples. 

In Doctrine and Covenants 64:10 , the Lord declares: 

“You are required to forgive all men . ”

And that's where everything gets more personal because forgiving sounds easy, until someone really hurts us. 

The problem is that wounds do hurt.

We all get hurt by someone at some point. Sometimes it's small things, but other times it's deep betrayal. That's why hearing "you have to forgive" can often feel unfair or even impossible.

The question then is not whether the Gospel teaches forgiveness. The real question is:

How can we forgive when we are still trying to heal?

One of the reasons many people struggle with this principle is because they believe that forgiving means approving of what happened, but that is not the case.

Forgiveness is not about justifying harm, ignoring healthy boundaries, or acting as if the hurt doesn't matter .

There are situations where trust needs time to rebuild, and that doesn't necessarily mean there was no forgiveness. Forgiveness has more to do with the state of our hearts before God than with the other person's reaction.

Resentment also ends up hurting us.

When someone hurts us, it's natural to feel anger, sadness, or frustration. The problem arises when that pain begins to stay with us permanently.

Without realizing it, we begin to relive conversations or imagine scenarios where the other person "pays" for what they did. And although we think that protects us, it actually ends up exhausting us.

Forgiveness doesn't free the offender first. Often, it frees the wounded person first .

That is why the Savior constantly taught about mercy. Not because pain doesn't matter, but because He knows what happens when we let pain control our hearts.

Jesus Christ perfectly understands what it is to be hurt

Image: morefaith.in

Jesus Christ never taught principles that He Himself was not willing to live by. No one suffered greater injustice than He; while on the cross, He said: 

“Father, forgive them.”

True forgiveness comes from trusting God's justice more than our desire for revenge . The Lord doesn't expect us to heal on our own.

He fully understands abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and emotional pain. That's why forgiveness also depends on allowing Christ to slowly transform what we carry within us.

Some wounds resurface from time to time, even after trying to move on. It's important to remember that forgiveness is a process where, little by little, the Lord replaces bitterness with peace.

Forgiving and reconciling are not always the same thing


Something important that many members need to understand is that forgiveness and reconciliation are not identical.

Reconciliation requires trust, real change, and mutual effort. Forgiveness, on the other hand, can begin even when the other person never apologizes.

That doesn't eliminate consequences or responsibilities; it simply means that we decided to leave the final judgment in God's hands, which requires a lot of faith.

We're all going to need forgiveness at some point.

One interesting thing about the Gospel is that we all end up being on both sides of this story.

There will be times when we need to forgive, and also times when we need someone to forgive us.

That's why this principle is so connected to Jesus Christ; the Gospel isn't about perfect people. It's about wounded people learning to heal through Christ .

Although forgiving may seem like one of the most difficult things in life, it can also become one of the most liberating spiritual experiences when we let the Savior walk that process with us.

resorce Meridian Magazine

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