On October 2, 2006, the world went into shock as an angry and depressed man killed five Amish school girls after shooting ten. The girls aged anywhere between 6 and 13 years old. The man then took his own life. The greatest shock, however, was the immediate response of the friends and families of these girls in the Amish community of Pennsylvania. There was no anger, no bitterness. Plenty of hurt was felt, but there was also kindness. The community reached out to the man's family and many even attended his funeral. They understood that anger would only bring more hurt and more grief to a world that already had plenty.
This article expresses the feelings of the man's family after they saw the kindness of many people from the Amish community.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220857,00.html
As an assignment for a religion class I took at Brigham Young University, I decided to make a blog to compile stories, pictures, and music that help to inspire people to find peace through obtaining forgiveness, forgiving others, and forgiving themselves.
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Study Trail used for my Definition of Forgiveness
*** Again, all Scriptural references may be looked up on http://www.lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng
Study Log
9/5/12 - 30 Minutes
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: Genesis 50:17, Joseph asked by his father to forgive his brothers. People who hurt me are children of my own Father in Heaven. Though he recognizes their wrong doings, He still wants me to love and forgive, just as he wants them to do to me.
Application: I will look at the people who hurt me as children of God.
Genesis 50:20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Numbers 14:20, “And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word.”
-- I have taken this a little out of context, but I believe that whenever we truly, sincerely wish to be forgiven of our sins, it is completely in our control. If we ask for it, it WILL happen, so long as we rightfully repent. Which, in general, we will when we feel that spirit.
Numbers 15:25, Priests make sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the people, we must sacrifice our pride, our sin.
9/8/12 - 15 Minutes
D&C 82:1, We are forgiven when we forgive
D&C 82:23, Sometimes I feel like someone doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but it is not my right to judge. This applies not only to judging someone’s actions, but judging their own repentance process.
9/10/12 - 30 Minutes
Joshua 24:19-20
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: It is not required for the Lord to forgive us. When we turn away from the Lord and serve “Strange gods”, we cannot truly repent.
Application: When I need to repent (and other times as well), I will keep my actions in alignment with the Lord’s commandments so I can rightfully earn my forgiveness and have a change of heart.
Nehemiah 9:17, However, the Lord is always ready and willing to forgive. We just need to reach out. He wants to bless us. So a further application is we must be as Christ and be looking to forgive, rather than holding expectations for someone to earn our forgiveness.
Psalms 32:1, When we are forgiven, the sins are “blotted out.” Once we forgive, we must not hold a grudge against others.
-- I think it’s important to not forget so we don’t get hurt again, we need to still do what is in our best interests, but we can’t stay angry. That will hurt out progression and deny them the clean slate that the Lord has ALREADY given them.
Psalms 32:5, Iniquity of the sin forgotten. Kind of goes along with last point (forgiven, perhaps not fully forgotten if it needs to dictate further precautions). We must confess sins to the Lord to achieve forgiveness and a “clean slate”.
9/11/12 - 45 Minutes
Psalms 86:5
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: Not with-holding forgiveness, the Lord forgives all who come unto him with pure intent. Readiness to forgive is akin to goodness and mercy.
Application: If God, who is great and powerful, is ready and willing to forgive, then I must forgive, as I do not yet have celestial glory and therefore am in now way “too good” for something that God is not.
Psalms 103:3, Sin is likened unto disease. When we forgive others or when we seek forgiveness, it’s like receiving medicine for an illness. This can be applied to the forgiver as holding a grudge or bitterness is also a sin and therefore another form of disease.
Psalms 130:4, Because God offers forgiveness, we have hope, and with hope we are inclined to earn the Love and respect of Heavenly Father, instead of giving up at our first sin. Forgiveness can bring a feeling of indebtedness by people which in turn can bring about loyalty. Like the ghosts in the third Lord of the Rings. Make up for betrayal.
Verse 3: if the Lord didn’t forgive, no one would want to be on his side. It would be too risky.
9/12/12 - 30 Minutes
Isaiah 1:18
Doctrine: Forgiveness, repentance
Principle: true repentance makes us pure again, just like baptism. We become white, untainted, clean. We can’t continue in regret, so long as we are willing and obedient , as stated in verse 19.
Application: When others ask me for forgiveness, I can’t hold it against them. I need to view them as white and clean.
Isaiah 6:6-7, Repentance is offering a sacrifice to the Lord. When we seek forgiveness, it is a sacrifice. When people are repenting and seeking our forgiveness, we need to acknowledge their sacrifice and accept it, just as God would and does.
Isaiah 43:25, Remember not the sins.
Jeremiah 33:8, the Lord blesses those who repent, he doesn’t wait for you to “earn” something good. He is eager to bless us as soon as we return unto him. -- We need to be like this, eager to bless and serve even those who have wronged us.
Jeremiah 50:20, once forgiven, the iniquity “can’t be found”. Different than the legal system where files of criminal activity are saved even though you’re no longer being punished. In the Lord’s way, your “file” is burned.
9/13/12 - 30 minutes
Ezekiel 18:22, 33:16.
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: Don’t hold a grudge once you have forgiven someone. “All his transgressions... they shall not be mentioned unto him.” When someone has realized their wrong doings, they don’t need to be reminded.
Application: sometimes we need to remember when someone has harmed us, so they don’t again, but once they have repented and suffered like alma the younger did, feeling godly sorrow, it is wrong to call them to repentance repeatedly in the future fr the same mistake. Holding onto it will hurt you and destroy the relationship completely.
Daniel 9:9, we must forgive because God forgives us when we rebel against him, which is far worse than someone rebelling against us.
Micah 7:18, God does not remain angry because he delights in mercy! Joy comes from being as God, so joy comes as we delight in mercy and actively SEEK to forgive others.
9/14/12 - 30 Minutes
Matthew 6:12
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: We must forgive in order to be forgiven. This is part of the Lord’s prayer and thought I’ve heard it a million times, I never read it as conditional. But this time I read it as forgive our debts as we forgive, almost like an if/then statement. Verse 14 confirms this with an actual if/then statement.
Application: I can’t make excuses anymore. FOr the sake of my own salvation, I must forgive those who have hurt me.
Luke 11:4, Also the Lord’s prayer, but phrased differently. This one makes forgiveness sound like a covenant, which only solidifies the if/then statement.
Matthew 6:15, a guarantee we WON’T be forgiven if we don’t forgive.
9/20/12 - 60 Minutes
Matthew 6:15
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: If you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven. I like how straightforward this scripture is.
Application: I must forgive in order to reach the celestial kingdom.
Matthew 9:5-6, Forgiveness is a miracle. To believe that we can be forgiven is the same as believing we can be healed (physically). Forgiveness is a spiritual and emotional forgiveness.
Matthew 12:31-32, blasphemy against Holy Ghost is not forgiven. (Matt 3:29, unclean spirit).
Matthew 18:21-22, “7” in the bible often means complete or perfect. We are told to forgive not just 7 times, but 77 times, showing the need to forgive infinitely, and how forgiveness brings perfection.
Mark 4:12, change of heart brings about forgiveness.
Luke 6:36-37, Forgiveness is mercy.
Luke 7:41-43 & 47. Those forgiven of more feel more compassion and love. We love our savior when we are forgiven and we are loved when we forgive.
Luke 17:3-5. Forgive even when someone hurts you repeatedly. Ask for increase in faith to forgive.
Luke 23:34-36. Christ forgave and begged forgiveness for those who crucified him. He said they didn’t know what they were doing. Clearly they knew they were crucifying someone, but it is true they didn’t understand the effects and true horror done. They were blind in their sin.
--- People often hurt us terribly, but they don’t truly understand what they did wrong or the horrible impact it had on you. We must forgive them, regardless of how intentional.
Acts 5:30-31, when we are hurt, we have the opportunity to become exalted to forgive.
Acts 8:21-22, heart not right, cleanse heart to be forgiven.
9/21/12 - 30 Minutes
Acts 13:37-39
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Principle: We are no longer corrupt when we are forgiven. Christ sees no corruption. Sins become “justified”/made right through Christ.
Application: The price has been paid for sins, we don’t have to pay more, we simply have to accept the payment in our lives. We need to accept that other people have a claim on Christ’s sacrifice, too. It’s not exclusive to just us.
2 Corinthians 2:7, We are told to forgive and comfort others.
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