023 - Of You It's Required To Forgive All Man Part 2
In our last episode, Donald spoke about the importance of forgiveness. And on today’s episode, he shares his own story about his path to forgiveness. After all, if Christ can forgive us for our sins, how are we unable to forgive other people?
Donald’s subpar step-father:
Donald’s mom began to date a man when Donald was about 12 years old.
He moved into their home, where things took a turn for the worse.
He started to verbally abuse Donald’s mom. And when he drank, he would break stuff. That later led to physical abuse.
While he never hit Donald or his little siblings, he did hit Donald’s mother.
A particularly traumatic experience happened:
One night he came home and started to argue with his mom. Donald’s mom was in the kitchen, and he knocked her down to the floor, stomping her head into the linoleum floor.
Donald ran out screaming and yelling, trying to stop the situation. He called his aunt and the cops because his mom was lying in a pool of blood.
While the ambulance came and took his mom to the hospital, and the cops came to arrest his stepfather, Donald was still angry.
The aftermath:
They (thankfully) never got back together. But while he wasn’t the best figure, the money Donald’s stepfather brought was helpful.
Because he no longer contributed, Donald’s family couldn’t afford their home because his mom wasn’t able to work.
Donald’s faith saved him:
Luckily, Donald started to go to church again. And while Donald was on a church mission, he realized he was preaching about how God forgave us for our sins, yet he could not forgive his stepfather.
Donald sent a letter to his stepfather detailing the emotions he was feeling. However, Donald realized when he got back from his mission that it never made it to him.
Fast forward a few years later, Donald was working on a speech about forgiveness. But he still had that hate in his heart. So he called his stepfather.
He told him on the phone that he forgave him, and it was one of the hardest things he’s ever done.
After that, Donald was in a much better place.
Is Donald 100% healed from the experience? He’s close. But it took him nearly half his life to get to that point. And it’s a continual battle.
If Jesus can forgive us for our shortcomings, who are we not to forgive the sins of our fellow humans?
To those who are still holding on to the mistakes of others: let it go.
We’ve all made mistakes in our lives. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. All we can do is ask for forgiveness and look for ways to liberate ourselves from hate.
Who’s the person you need to forgive? Who do you need to ask for forgiveness? If you need help or want to speak with Donald about your own path to forgiveness, email him at donaldckelly019@gmail.com or post it in our Facebook group.
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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)
