Transcript

In our own quest to receive the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father and the Savior, the Lord has made it very clear we must be willing to forgive others. This is not an easy thing to do when things are unjustly placed upon us. One of the stories that is recounted in the book is a story of Becky Murdoch. She had been married to a returned missionary. But, sadly, over the years he turned to other things. Finally, he himself asked that he could be divorced. She wondered, Have I totally just lost 20 years? Was this all for nothing? She eventually found someone else, was married. But this first husband of hers moved more and more into destructive behavior and was very negative on the Church, with her children, even with her new husband. But then something happened. The man, sadly, contracted a serious illness, a serious tumor. He had lost most of his friends. He had no one to care for him. So this very noble woman said she would help him. And suddenly, in his apartment, she and the children and even her new husband helped this man in his final weeks and months of life. Let me read what happened. "My prayers about him changed too. 'Help me to see him as you see him, Father.' Miracles happened as I began to see him as a choice son of God who was very loved and who had been fooled by Satan, dragged away from a family he loved, a church he was once passionate for, and was now being destroyed because of lies that he had believed from the father of all lies. "As the weeks during the illness went on, I saw a change in him. He became sweet and innocent. He was dependent on us for everything. He smiled and laughed and sang songs with us as this was the last form of communication he had. "My new husband was able to serve him also as he helped fix meals for those of us who were taking care of him and as he made modifications to his home so he could keep him there as long as possible. My new husband had a softening of his heart toward my ex-husband also and was able to even say he loved him as a brother. Our daughter, who was pregnant with her first child, was able to have her daddy back. "There were so many tender mercies that occurred during the three months that followed his diagnosis until his death that are sacred memories to me." Then a little bit later on she says: "How was I able to do it, to care for him after all he had done to cause so much pain? It is because Heavenly Father loves His children. And the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. All broken things can be fixed--broken hearts, broken relationships, and broken lives--all because of the Savior Jesus Christ." In the Savior--in His prayer to His Heavenly Father, He prayed, "Father, forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors." I pray that we will have this spirit of forgiveness. It's an important part of being forgiven ourselves. And as we forgive others, we will feel that flood of light that blesses our own life.

We Must Be Willing to Forgive Others

Description
(The Divine Gift of Forgiveness, Chapter 21) Elder Neil L. Andersen recounts a story of a woman who learned that all broken things can be mended through Jesus Christ.
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