I have been thinking about forgivness.

A friend of mine hit me real hard the other day. And according to Matthew 5:39 Jesus says: ”But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ”

Of course it doesn´t mean that we shall put ourselves in mortal danger if we are getting beat up physically (or emotianally). But if we respond to hatred with Love then we´ll might bee given a chance to share the gospel. And that´s just what happened to me with my friend. He told me later that he had to stop hitting me because i responded in such a cool and calm way and he asked me how I could do that. So I explained to him that it was because of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave me inner peace even when his fist broked my lips.

But the most important thing for me was that I was able to forgive him. Of course it was easier to find true forgivness in my heart when I could see that he was honest and sincere saying ”sorry”.

 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. (D&C 64:9)

If we are getting hurt our natural response can sometimes be anger byt we must remember that we can´t heal a negative action with another negative action. Looking back upon my life I realize that negative experiences sometimes shaped me more than positive ones, because I was able to forgive and then blessed with the power to make a change. The power of forgiveness gave me back control of my life, because it took me out of victim mode.

Hymn 185 Reverently and Meekly Now

verse 3

Bid thine heart all strife to cease;
With thy brethren be at peace.
Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
E'en forgiven now by me.
In the solemn faith of prayer
Cast upon me all thy care,
And my Spirit's grace shall be
Like a fountain unto thee.