Give it to the Savior

We can always depend on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and his gospel, and the Holy Spirit. I literally can put everything I have into these personages and doctrine. They cannot fail us. Heavenly Father has a perfect understanding of the needs of his children. Jesus Christ has completely felt and experienced our pain. The Holy Spirit happily volunteered to help God’s children learn through his manifestation. Not only that, they have a perfect love for us. The gospel is everlasting, and if taught through by the Spirit, is perfect.

That is not to say that we should not allow others in our lives. Often they are meant to play a part in our progression.  We should embrace those God sends into our lives. However, as our lives move forward, every person we come across, we must forgive. We must forgive those who directly affect us, and those who do not directly affect us.  We are human, and will make mistakes.

Sometimes the only way I am able to forgive is when I give my afflictions to the Savior.

I have learned that the Savior has the strength and capacity to take from us any pain, suffering, struggle, addiction, sin, bad habit, ANYTHING. We often become frustrated when we expect that after praying, our situation will immediately change. He doesn't necessarily change the situation. Rather, he changes us. He strengthens us. He humbles us. He softens our hearts, and helps us to glance at things through an eternal perspective.

Ezekiel 36

16 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:

19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.

20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land.

21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

My thoughts on these verses:

This is how I let go, and move on with myself. I have to pray for a new heart. I become hard, angry, and my heart is stone. I have to literally get down on my knees, and cry out to the Lord for a new heart. As I ask, I receive. The Lord changes something in me that makes it possible to forgive others, as well as myself.

This talk inspired me: Remember Lot's Wife by Elder Holland. These three quotes are beautiful, and watching the talk is even more touching, and will make you laugh. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obNlH5... (this is the video)

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1819 (this is the written version)
 

"There is something in us, at least in too many of us, that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either mistakes we ourselves have made or the mistakes of others. That is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in terrible opposition to the grandeur and majesty of the Atonement of Christ. To be tied to earlier mistakes—our own or other people’s—is the worst kind of wallowing in the past from which we are called to cease and desist. "

My thoughts: He nailed it. We choose to hold ourselves hostage. We tend to think that since we have been hurt by another, we are entitled and justified in our be anger. That is a burden!!! Christ is begging us to let him take that burden from us! He doesn't want us to carry it!!! He wants to come to us who are heavy laden, and say, "Let me help you. Let me carry that for you. "

"I can’t tell you the number of couples I have counseled who, when they are deeply hurt or even just deeply stressed, reach farther and farther into the past to find yet a bigger brick to throw through the window “pain” of their marriage. When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died trying to heal."

My thoughts: This bring tears to my eyes. It hurts me when those I love suffer, and when I harbor anger or very purposefully sinful, I am basically conveying to my Savior that I am rejecting his atonement. I need to improve. I want the Savior to feel joy because I am using his atonement, and I love him.

"Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone, saying, “Hey! Do you remember this?” Splat!"

My thoughts: I have been hurt when people have held grudges against me, and I do this to others. I am anxious for General Conference. So. Anxious. This is a question I have that I am praying for to be addressed in conference:

How do I keep forgiving the same person, especially when they hurt me the same way?

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.