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Come Follow Me

Dear Constant Reader -

This year in our LDS (Mormon?) community we are starting a new thing. Now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I am religious. If you have been a reader of this blog in the past, you’ll know that my religious feelings are deep and poignant. I believe in God, I believe that we are His children, and that He has a plan for us. I am also not ignorant of the issues that exist in the Church, most of which are due to the culture of the Saints, and some of which are questions I have that are unresolved.  Maybe that’s a post for another day.

But I’m encouraged, nonetheless, by the new curriculum and emphasis on personal and family study. I have always felt that the Church and all of its attendant programs were really just tools for saving individuals and families. I also very strongly believe that God wants a relationship with each of us, one that is lasting and beautiful and fulfilling...

To that end, and in that Spirit, I will be using my blog to write down my thoughts on the lessons we’re doing as a family and from my own study. You may not agree - shucks, I get halfway through some of my own blog posts and realize that I’ve no idea what I’m writing, and maybe even contradict myself on many occasions. But you don’t really mind, do you - you’ve been here this whole time anyway: you’re used to it by now.

One of the things I’d come to think about this week - and it’s not anything necessarily new - is related to forgiveness. So, it turns out that we hurt each other. Some hurts are bigger than others, and any time two people would be in a relationship, there are chances for hurts. Sometimes those hurts are intentional, but most often not. Regardless of the purpose or intent, we have the opportunity to acknowledge the hurt, and then the sweet privilege to extend forgiveness. Life is short. It’s so very short and precious. If we spend all of our time wallowing in the hurts that others have given us, we will miss a great deal of the happiness and peace that would otherwise be ours. So that’s a good reason to stop it.

But there’s another reason - a higher reason. If we want to have the Spirit - and as the lesson for this past week has shown us, we NEED the Spirit to help us know what is real and true. If we aren’t forgiving of others, if we continue to hold on to grudges and pains and hurts, and if we persist in wallowing in the darkness, we cannot see the light. We cannot have the Spirit if we withhold forgiveness of others.

I’m reminded of the story of the man who spent his whole life looking down at the ground. It appears that once when he was young he found a $100 bill lying on the ground and then spent the rest of his life looking for that same reward. In the meantime, he missed all of the sunsets he could have seen, he missed all of the joy of human interaction, and he missed all of life. His perspective was forever shaped by his inability to look up and enjoy the world around him.

So it is with the Spirit. To enjoy the things of God, we must put down anything that would interfere with the Spirit - sin, vice, distractions, and holding grudges. Perhaps this is why the Lord says that vengeance belongs to Him, and of us it is required to forgive everyone. I’ve heard it said that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies...

Well, that’s enough for today. I’m going to spend some time with Ellie and Diana. I hope you all have a marvelous week.

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