022 - Of You It's Required To Forgive All Man Part 1
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to forgive us for our sins. He was able to forgive us despite us being completely unworthy. Despite this, we are quick to judge others. We are quick not to forgive our fellow man. How can we let go and forgive? We must learn about and practice forgiveness, and on today’s episode of Changing, Donald shares an important parable that stresses just that.
We all have our problems, difficulties, and skeletons in our closets.
But whatever our past holds, the Lord will forgive and heal us.
This is a gift God gives us; he gave his only son so we could be saved.
If he can forgive you and make you whole, why shouldn’t you forgive other people?
Many beliefs, religions, and ideologies can cause us to be angry.
If we were to forgive people, but much happier would he be if we could forgive others?
The parable of the indebted servant.
A servant owned 10,000 talents to his lord. But, upon hearing the servant’s plea for patience and mercy, the lord was moved with compassion and forgave the debt.
Then, that same servant would not forgive a fellow servant who owed him 100 pence.
Upon hearing this, the king lamented to the one he had forgiven.
To make it comparable to modern-day, let’s say the 100 pence equals $100. With that in mind, the 10,000 talents debt would’ve totaled about $1 billion (or more.)
What can we learn from this story?
This number is so incomprehensible because that’s what the Lord was trying to show us in this parable.
We can’t repay the Lord for Jesus’s sacrifice. We were freely forgiven for an unpayable debt.
So who are we to not forgive someone for an infinitely smaller debt?
That doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with the person. And it doesn’t have to happen instantaneously. But it should happen.
When you carry around the burden of unforgiveness inside you, it’s like carrying around poison. It only hurts you, not the other person. Forgiveness gives you freedom.
Another example:
Leo Tolstoy wrote of a priest who was criticized by one of his congregates for not living as resolutely as he should.
The critic concluded that the principles the priest taught must be erroneous because he’s a hypocrite.
To that, the priest responded, look at my life now and compare it to my former life. You’ll see I’m trying to live out the truth I proclaim.
Unable to live up to the ideals he taught, the priest admits he has failed. But he states, ”Attack me if you wish. I do this myself, but don’t attack the path I follow.”
Everyone makes mistakes. But just because we’re all sinners doesn’t mean the path is wrong.
When you forgive God, he will love you, care for you, and help you.
The takeaway from this podcast? You’ll feel happiness and joy by forgiving those around you. Focus not on judgment but on helping the people around us and putting grievances behind us. Because we’re all God’s children.
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MUSIC CREDIT: Audio Jungle
(Note: This podcast is not an official podcast of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
