Forgiveness United Us

By Aurora Rojas de Álvarez

Shortly before my wedding, my brother, Neipta, and I started arguing. We had been mad at each other for a long time, and the tension finally erupted into words. Although we couldn’t remember what had made us angry in the first place, the feelings were real. Everything he said and did upset me, and I felt justified in my feelings.

At that time my brother’s relationship with the whole family was suffering. There was antagonism and misunderstanding between him and my father, and he and my two sisters did not communicate at all. But my mother suffered the most. She said I didn’t love Neipta. But I knew I loved him, and it hurt to hear my mother say that.

The problems escalated, and my brother left our home in Venezuela. I began to wonder what I could do to get this situation under control.

The next week in Sunday School we had a lesson about forgiveness. I started to feel horrible, and a thought came to my mind: “Aurora, you must apply what you have learned.” The Spirit touched my heart that day, and I knew I needed to forgive my brother. I left with a firm determination to fix things between us.

On Friday of the next week, Neipta came home to pick up some things. I feared his reaction, but that day was my mother’s birthday, and asking my brother’s forgiveness would be the best present I could give her. I went to my room and said a prayer for strength and for the right words to say to my brother. Heavenly Father heard my prayer and gave me courage.

I pulled Neipta aside to talk. I explained how much this situation had hurt us and that I wanted it to end. With tears in my eyes and almost unable to talk, I asked for forgiveness. My brother also began to cry, and we hugged each other. He forgave me and asked for my forgiveness in return. In just a few minutes we were able to erase months of bitter feelings.

Two days later, my brother and father worked to reconcile their differences and ended their discussion with a hug. The transformation in my family was a miracle. My heart was filled with joy and gratitude to Heavenly Father for teaching us to forgive.

• Aurora Rojas de Álvarez is a member of the El Pinar Ward, Maracaibo Venezuela South Stake, where she is a counselor in the stake Young Women presidency.