This story of forgiveness reminds me of a story Truman Madsen told about George Albert Smith, who was a prophet of God. Pres. Smith was a peacemaker who sought never to "be an enemy to any living soul" (The Presidents of the Church, Madsen, p.222). The story goes as follows, "George Albert Smith had an old 1936 Ford with a very precious blanket on the front seat made by Navajo Indians; they had sewn the names of all the Twelve into the blanket, along with his own name. The car wasn't locked because it was in a guarded Church parking lot. But the blanket was stolen anyway. George Albert walked out from his meetings and found the blanket was gone. He could have called the mayor of Salt Lake City and said, 'What kind of city are you running? I'll have your head if you don't get that blanket back.' Or he could have called the chief of police and said the same thing. Or he might have said to the guard, probably a Latter-day Saint, 'Are you blind?' What did he do? He said simply, 'I wish we knew who it was so that we could give him the blanket also, for he must have been cold; and some food also, for he must have been hungry.'" (ibid., p.224). Now that is forgiveness! The situation was not as drastic as the one the Amish faced but Pres. Smith's response showed his forgiveness and love for others, even those who wronged him - especially those who wronged him.
Forgiveness is such an important principle and commandment that when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray He included the following phrase: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matt. 6:12). Again, the lesson is that we are required to forgive others if we want to be forgiven. That seems like a pretty good condition for forgiveness. After Jesus ended His prayer He said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt. 6:14-15). That seems like a strong case for the importance of forgiving others!
I have been writing about the need we have for forgiveness and to forgive others. To help me transition back to a Christmas theme, I will quote some of the lyrics from the hymn As Now We Take the Sacrament.
"As now our minds review the past,
We know we must repent;
The way to thee is righteousness—
The way thy life was spent.
Forgiveness is a gift from thee
We seek with pure intent.
With hands now pledged to do thy work,
We take the sacrament."
"Forgiveness is a gift" from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It is Jesus' Christmas gift to each of us as we repent. Forgiveness is the gift that each of us, no matter how rich or poor we may be, can afford to give to someone this Christmas season. What greater gift is there than the peace that comes from wrongs and trespasses forgiven? What greater gift could we give ourselves than to let go of the hurt and bitterness and pain we retain when we are unforgiving? This Christmas, give the gift of forgiveness to someone who needs yours.
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