“What Church Leaders Are Saying about Forgiveness,” Ensign, December 2020
What Church Leaders Are Saying about Forgiveness
We can feel our Savior’s love for us as we extend His love and forgiveness to others.
Photographs from Getty Images
The Ability to Forgive
“The Savior offers you … the ability to forgive. Through His infinite Atonement, you can forgive those who have hurt you and who may never accept responsibility for their cruelty to you.
“It is usually easy to forgive one who sincerely and humbly seeks your forgiveness. But the Savior will grant you the ability to forgive anyone who has mistreated you in any way. Then their hurtful acts can no longer canker your soul.”1
President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
What the Lord Did Not Say
“‘I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men’ [Doctrine and Covenants 64:10]. It is, however, important for some of you living in real anguish to note what He did not say. He did not say, ‘You are not allowed to feel true pain or real sorrow from the shattering experiences you have had at the hand of another.’ Nor did He say, ‘In order to forgive fully, you have to reenter a toxic relationship or return to an abusive, destructive circumstance.’”2
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Finding Joy and Peace
“Satan can mimic many different emotions, but he cannot mimic true joy, and he cannot mimic peace. … The beauty of repentance and forgiveness is that because of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, we can progress and find joy and peace in our imperfect but best efforts. We can experience our Father’s plan of happiness in this life, not just in the next!”3
Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency
What Is Most Important
“In each of our lives things happen that make us stop and consider what is most important. … At these tender moments, the four things that matter most find expression as ‘thank you,’ ‘I love you,’ ‘please forgive me,’ and ‘I forgive you’ (see Ira Byock, The Four Things That Matter Most [2004], 3).
“Each of these phrases is an echo of the Atonement. In each we feel our Savior’s love for us as we extend His love and forgiveness to others. Each eases pain, offers hope and comfort, and reconciles injustices.”4
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quiet Strength and Courage
“On a December night in 1982, … a 20-year-old drunk driver, speeding at more than 85 miles (135 km) per hour, recklessly ran a stoplight [and] crashed violently into the car driven by my youngest brother, Tommy, instantly killing him and his wife, Joan. …
“… A court sentencing hearing was held for the young man found responsible for vehicular manslaughter. In their ongoing grief and sorrow, my parents and oldest sister, Katy, attended the hearing. … My parents and sister … walked to the driver’s parents and offered them words of comfort and forgiveness. The men shook hands; the women held hands; there was deep sorrow and tears for all and a recognition that both families had suffered immensely. Mom, Dad, and Katy led the way with their quiet strength and courage and showed our family what forgiveness looks like. …
“I plead for all of us this day to remember and follow the example of Jesus Christ. On the cross at Golgotha, in His anguish, He uttered these words: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ [Luke 23:34].”5
Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk, emeritus member of the Seventy
The Savior Will Mend What We Cannot
“Sometimes our efforts to heal and restore may be as simple as an apology, but other times restitution may require years of humble effort. Yet, for many of our sins and mistakes, we simply are not able to fully heal those we have hurt. The magnificent, peace-giving promise of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel is that the Savior will mend all that we have broken.”6
Elder James R. Rasband of the Seventy