I Will Forgive

by Darla Swanson

I was amazed at how proud I still felt of our new chapel as I attended seminary that morning. It was so beautiful!

I heard the voices of my fellow brothers and sisters, my best friends, and Sister Payne, our seminary teacher. They all greeted me with smiles and good mornings. My heart was full, and I knew that was where I should be.

After a song and a prayer, we began our lesson. Soon I was thinking about my friend who had recently stopped attending Sunday meetings. I was feeling guilty because we had had a disagreement that now seemed senseless. And I was thinking that my friend’s inactivity was a result of our disagreement.

My thoughts were interrupted by Sister Payne reading Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–10 [D&C 64:9–10]:

“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.

“I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.”

Then I realized that I had been too proud to even apologize to my friend.

At that moment, I knew what to do about my friend. I would go to her and apologize. And I knew that once again, through the scriptures and a teacher, Heavenly Father had given me the strength to do what I knew in my heart was right.

Photography by Steve Bunderson