Hey there everybody welcome out to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood.
Scott and David Durfey here as always.
How's it going Dave?
Great Scott.
Good to see you bud.
Good to see you.
We've done golfing so we're getting the very best of David Durfee today.
Fun fun fun.
He played pretty well is that right?
I made a few putts.
Made a few putts and the guys I was playing with they missed a few putts.
Yeah he was playing with some pretty good golfers today.
He came away a winner.
We're not going to say any names or anything but David he's a pretty great golfer.
He's very humble.
I'm not that great.
He's pretty great.
I should be a lot better as many many bowls as I've had in my life.
That's what keeps you improving is that attitude right there.
Well listen thanks for joining us everybody.
We have a beautiful day here on the Wasatch Front.
I hope it's beautiful where you are as well.
We really appreciate all the email the correspondence that we get from each of you.
We encourage you to keep that coming.
Send that to heredeemsusatgmail.com.
Last week we had a fun discussion.
I'm not sure fun is the appropriate adjective but I'll use it anyway.
A fun discussion around forgiveness.
Forgiveness is one of the manifestations of repentance and look forward to continuing
today and probably even next week talking about that even more.
So Dave where do we go?
Well we're talking about forgiving others and forgiving ourselves right and how to
recognize forgiveness in our life.
But Scott I know the listeners are tired of this and I'm sorry to keep repeating it.
But I just really believe strongly in this that repentance is a process.
It is a process and there are different elements to it.
There are different parts to it and I think it helps to kind of break it down a little
bit.
You know that I hate the term steps of repentance or the checklist of repentance.
But I do think there are just some you know an outline or or essential elements to it such
as the foundations of repentance.
One more time if people are trying to repent of their sins and they lack sufficient faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement they're probably just going to spend their
wills.
And they may through the repentance process get more faith in Jesus Christ.
I'm sure that's true in some cases and so there's exceptions to all of these and anybody
can jump in on the repentance wheel on at any point.
But I think to really go through the process complete the process to kind of get to a point
where you know where you stand with the Lord and that you've been forgiven.
I think it's really helpful to understand that there's there's foundations of repentance
faith in Jesus Christ is one of those.
Well and let's talk about the other two right really understanding the atonement of Jesus
Christ.
So I think so important as part of the foundation and then desiring and this is really important
to throughout the entire process.
Not just foundations but it has to start at the foundations and that is a desire for complete
honesty and yes.
Uncompromising honesty such an important part in Elder Anderson's book and I know I'll never
forget the impression he left upon me about the importance of uncompromising honesty when
it comes to repentance and those are foundational.
Yeah.
When we talk about repentance and then there's the conditions of repentance meeting the conditions
of repentance of godly sorrow and broken heart and contrite spirit and a real sincerity to
it.
That's that's another essential element of repentance.
And then the then you have the actions of repentance and I think this is the core of
it and I think so many times got people hit all the way around the core and they never
quite sometimes get to the core and in all of the stories the hundreds of stories that
Elder Anderson had compiled over nine years the first nine years of his apostolic ministry.
It was amazing how many talked about repentance but they didn't the core so many times was
missing and the core or the actions of repentance color whatever you want but the real core
of repentance is crying out to God and really depending upon Jesus Christ and receiving
his mercy and his grace and enabling powers and to cry out to God and to offer our whole
souls and our sins Scott remember this was the key of in the course that I taught for
years I think so many lights would go on when I would say this stop repenting of a sin
and start to repent of sinning.
That's a that's a total different perspective and so many people tried to do a piecemeal
you know they tried to repent of a sin.
It just doesn't work very well that way Scott I'm sure individuals have done it but the
real core or the action of repentance is exemplified by King Lamona's father where he he says to
God you know after giving offering all of his kingdom to God then he finally gets to
really the core of it and he says I will give away all my sins to know thee so to offer
our whole souls and all of our sins to God as we cry out to him to give them to God to
offer them to Jesus Christ who paid for them by the way who paid for all of them so if
he paid for them we should be generous and honest in offering them to him and that's
kind of the core of repentance and some people talk about confessing and they talk about
doing all these other things that are parts of repentance but they never get quite to
the core of it and after the actions of repentance or the core of repentance then we have the
manifestations of repentance the way the Lord talks about these it's these are manifestations
and that is confessing them by this you may know if a man repented of his sins he will
confess them and forsake them the Lord says in doctrine comes 59 and then you have a making
restitution and then you have forgiving others these are kind of the manifestations or evidences
that an individual is progressing in their repentance and and maybe perhaps that they
have repented because repentance again is not through the church or any institution real
repentance and forgiveness can only come from the Lord from our heavenly Father through
Jesus Christ and his atonement so I just I'm spending too much time on this against
God but I it's just so critical that we're talking about parts of repentance and it's
just so important to see it to always see it as kind of a whole anyway and it's probably
true that the some of the parts is even greater than the whole.
It's probably important too that we actually go back and redefine repentance especially
for the sake of our conversation today you know when we do it when we talk about repentance
oftentimes and this has been the case for many of us in our culture going way back but
when we would think of repentance we would think of it as an indictment or I'm being
called on the carpet or this is the way that I fix all the mistakes I have to suffer I
have to pay it back I have to you know and there is there can be suffering because of
our sins there can be all of these there can be payback that's necessary we talk about
restitution and all of that but but when we talk about repentance what we're really saying
here is coming to him turning to him facing him putting on the atonement of Jesus Christ
so when we talk about repentance what we're really doing what we're really doing when
we're repenting is a we are responding to the invitation to come on to me and to come
on to me more fully to take his yoke upon us to allow him to give us rest and all of
the other things that we read about that give us comfort in and through the scriptures
and from the words of the our leaders the brethren etc so when we think of repentance
sure it's for sin sure it's so that we can be made clean sure it's so that we can through
the sanctification process be made there is joint errors with him but it's also to respond
to all of the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve and all of the effects of fall the
fall of Adam and Eve and I say that because it is through repentance again that we access
the blessings the power of Jesus Christ that come to us because of repentance through his
atonement and so that if we can do that then we can access the spirit to access all three
of those blessings and you know we talk about the redemption blessings that's the forgiveness
of sins sure we talk about the enabling blessings strengthening blessings those blessings will
be of grave importance today as we get into the topic today and then compensatory blessings
that are available to us only through the atonement of Jesus Christ which is access
through us coming unto him which we sometimes often refer to also as repentance I think
Scott it would be helpful if our listeners I think so many times their perspective of
repentance is that I that I have to suffer and their their real goal or their aspiration
in the process of repentance is to have their guilt washed away or even washed away that's
that's Alma's words but they just want to be free of guilt they want to get rid of their
guilt I think it would be better and much more effective if individuals would see repentance
as Jesus suffered so that I don't have to suffer right and I'm grateful that Jesus Christ
paid for my sins so I don't have to pay for my sins and I think the goal should be more
how can I show my gratitude and love to Jesus Christ if that was if that was more our aspiration
in the repentance process instead of just I want I gotta be relieved of guilt I've
got it's you know because that that approach is more about me and I think repentance is
more effective in all the individuals that I've seen repentance God in in throughout
church leadership experiences and personal experiences family experiences it's so much
more effective when the focus is on Jesus Christ and his atonement and what my sins
cost him instead of what have my sins cost me and how can I be free from it that's a
different approach yeah and if we and if we think about it from that approach and we go
back to what I said a minute ago that it is the same process repentance that we access
the enabling and compensatory blessings of Jesus Christ through his atonement addition
in addition to the redemption blessings if we look at it that way then we can see that
it's the same process that we use to gain comfort in our lives for the pains and the
trials and the sufferings and all that we go through in life that may be in inequalities
and equities and in all of those things that we also face so if we approach repentance
as a coming unto him and in that's the same basic effect or same basic steps or process
probably better said that we use to come unto him to get comfort from our trials and from
those things that so do easily be set us right then I think that it helps us also to understand
that my sins aren't necessarily an indictment I shouldn't be sinning but they're not an
indictment Jesus paid for them we also paid for my sufferings yeah and all the consequences
of my sins and so if you pay for the consequences of my sins and of my sufferings and and he's
accessed the same way either way that's it's important for us to know and I think for me
at least that made repentance easier because I began to even see it more deeply as an expression
of love from him also in response and expression of my love for him that's good Scott and
just just two other thoughts you know I don't think I've said this before but I used to
always tell my students when your gratitude for Jesus Christ and his atonement is greater
than your guilt then you can really be effective at repenting and feeling forgiven but if your
gratitude for Jesus Christ and his atonement is not the focus and it's not as great as
you beating yourselves up and feeling guilt and even worse shame then you're not really
repenting gratitude for Jesus Christ and the atonement and really understanding that is
such an important part essential foundational element of repentance so and I we can probably
never talk about that enough but today let's let's get into let's continue our discussion
on forgiving others Scott because again as a manifestation but sometimes maybe people
in order to feel forgiven they need to forgive others including themselves so it's an important
part of working through the process but there's so much there's so much to say about forgiving
others and there's so many positive examples of it the question that I kind of want our
listeners to think about though again in regards to forgiving others is a little bit of a like
repenting of our sins forgiving others is is a little bit like repenting of sin there's
two ways you can do it you can either try to pay back all that was lost on your own
and try to work out your repentance on your own and try to pay back ten times and and
flog yourself and beat yourself up and and and you know and it's all about me again
or you can rely upon Jesus Christ understand his atonement and look to God and live approach
and and forgiving others is the same deal Scott and one way is redeeming in one way
is not so there's two ways for people to forgive one way is they just make up their mind psychologically
they're going to forgive and they psychologically deal with it and they deal with their emotions
and and they're just trying to work this out for themselves and and they see therapists
and they and I'm not nothing against their person I'm not saying anything negative about
that at all but but they kind of just through all of the man-made processes try to forgive
others and a lot of people are pull that off Scott a lot of people can can move on and
forgive who may not even be Christian lots of people in other religions who who get that
atheists and agnostics can learn to forgive others and and find peace by doing it but
it's not redemptive because it's not through Jesus Christ so the most effective way to
forgive others is to to understand again what Jesus what Jesus's atonement covered and it
not only covered all people sins the sins of all the world but it covered all of the
negative effects that those sins might have on me that if somebody has sinned against
me that Jesus Christ atonement covered all of the negatives that I experience and and
when we understand that we can we can actually not just repent through Jesus Christ and His
atonement but we can forgive others through Jesus Christ and His atonement and that becomes
more redemptive and more powerful and the peace and the joy that comes in the wake of
that is very different than me coming to peace kind of on my own so I I just think people
need to think about how am I really trying to forgive others and I know a lot of people
don't even want to forgive others they want to hold on to it and the reason they hold
on to it Scott you've you've taught me this is because there's a payoff and and they
become stuck in that and you should talk about that again and I want to be extremely careful
because there are victims and there are people who know fault of their own all of us to a
degree but many to a much larger larger degree about than others there are those that through
no fault of their own have suffered grave traumatic experiences and we've talked about
a lot of those in the past here on on the podcast and a lot of you have shared some
of those with us that there are just some really difficult things that can happen to
us oftentimes in this and I want to be very sensitive and very careful because this there
this is in no way a generalization over everybody but that you know maybe an invitation to all
of us is to just maybe just try this on maybe just see if this fits in any portion of our
lives regardless of who we are regardless of how long or how far along the processes
of gaining the atonement in our lives that we are but think of it this way if for example
I'm a victim and because of my victimization of abuse or whatever the case may be but because
of this I have a psychological disadvantage maybe I even have the economic disadvantage
maybe I have become to have a physical disadvantage in life and certainly I have an emotional
disadvantage in life because that's just what trauma does to us it gets in our body
and sometimes there are just trauma responses that bring those things up and remind us we
have a body memory a body remembering which can trigger a an emotional and a mental remembering
of those types and which can destroy relationships destroy relationships with each other destroy
relationships even with ourself I mean this is God this is one of the you know and I'm
only saying this and it don't only I don't have the data on this but it would be easy
to to obtain but this is one of the main reason one of the big reasons that we that we lose
so many people to suicide in our society is because we just don't we just don't see ourselves
as being valuable I'm a piece of trash now I'm I'm I'm discardable now because of the
things damaged goods well there's certainly exactly well there's something about that
that we would get comfortable in when I say we if you're not feeling this if you're saying
Scott that's not me well then I'm not talking to you but there for every one of you that
are saying Scott that's not me there's five of you that are saying yeah I get this this
is exactly how I feel because sometimes when we are in that victimization we get attention
for it we have counselors we have addictions that come up because of it certainly that's
been the case so maybe in part for me even you know that that we find ways to numb out
and those ways of numbing out become so easy for us to obtain to gain access to drugs or
you know whatever the case rationalize it whatever that any of that is and that is our payoff
because because if I'm in this stuck mode then I will continue to get all of this now
I've and I've seen this firsthand I've even seen this firsthand recently and if you're
any of my sponsors are listening to this I am not talking about you so don't ask me
if I am but but if but I've seen this reason you could be talking about you or me a hundred
percent but I but recently even I have I have had the experience with an individual more
than one actually who has said to me things along these lines but Scott as soon as I
start getting well I don't know how to function in wellness anymore the payoff is as yeah I
say I want all these things and I say I hate this discomfort but I have been become comfortable
in my discomfort yeah and you know we can in the Book of Mormon where it talks about
and thus he leadeth the hearts of the children of men astray causing them to say always well
and sign we just get comfortable with where we are and because of that that that that
comfort of where we are can be a big tool of the accuser and it helps us stay stuck
because it's uncomfortable for us to grow it's uncomfortable for us to become responsible
it's uncomfortable for us to become accountable it's uncomfortable for us to learn to control
our emotions etc. it's scary Scott and so because of that sometimes we stay stuck yeah
but you know what I found though Dave the deeper our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
is the greater our desire is to follow him and if that faith is deep enough yeah I I
have seen miracles happen in becoming unstuck because if I trust in him to know that through
him this new life as directed by Jesus Christ him because of the power that he has afforded
me through his atonement through his through what happened in Gethsemane on the cross because
of that I can have a better life and I have to trust that that that will be the case but
if I can do that then I can rise out of that victimization.
Well my my favorite quote you know from preach my gospel Scott is as your understanding of
the atonement of Jesus Christ grows some page two of preach my gospel your desire to live
the gospel will increase and I we could we could put in place of the word live a lot
of things for example as your understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ grows your
desire to forgive the others will increase put in there whatever you want but as our
understanding of and our gratitude for Jesus Christ and his atonement increases it's a
it's amazing how our our motives our motives change our desires change we've all been stuck
and I know we're all flawed and we're all broken and it's just so easy to get stuck
in a fallen celestial world and to justify our sins anyway I hope that our listeners
don't take offense to any of that but I think it's it's really important to evaluate ourselves
and say what's the what's the payback why am I if I'm not able to forgive him or her
or them or whatever what what's my payback why why can't I what can I let it go yeah
or what don't I understand or what what do I lack in my faith in Jesus Christ and his
atonement that's just real those are really important self-examination questions yeah I
have perpetrators I know we all do we have people that we need to forgive for whatever
reason and I and I have found though that you know one of the reasons this was true
for me and again this is not anecdotal this is because I've had experience with this and
sponsoring and talking to many many other men etc but but sometimes one of the reasons
that we hang on to that not forgiving and we can at that point we can actually change
maybe even use it synonymously non-forgiveness with resentment the reason I hang on to that
resentment or that non-forgiveness towards somebody else is because I think they need
to pay more right I so so if they have done this to me and this is equal to a nine out
of ten then they need to pay a nine out of ten and in the way I exercise that payment
from that on that nine out of the ten is to withhold forgiveness yeah and it makes no
sense logically if we think of it from a logical you know perspective there is no sense in
that at all yeah but we don't we don't function from logic when we are in victimization we
function from emotion and when we're functioning from emotion that makes sense to us and you
know and even as I'm saying that and even as you're hearing this and even those of you
who are actually maybe perhaps even doing that to a degree in your own life so hearing
this and you're thinking man that sounds silly but it's nonetheless true I know individuals
families have been destroyed by perpetrators sometimes the family cannot let it go and
I've had the feeling sometimes that the one of the reasons they can't let it go is because
it justifies their failures in living really they think their whole family's been destroyed
because of a perpetrator and so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy and yet it's not
their fault it's the perpetrator's fault it isn't an amazing it's really demonic I mean
it's it's evil how Satan can take sin and perpetuate it generational generation after
generation after generation and there's some people who've been hurt deeply hurt and they
won't let it go and their children won't let it go and their children's children won't
let it go and you see this and not only in individuals you see it in families you see
it in cultures you see it I mean Dave we see it in the church I mean let's you know let's
see it in the church yeah let's be honest you know if we have a leader that says leaders
are human leaders are gonna say stupid stuff sometimes I have we've all been offended and
we've all offended exactly and you know and so think about that you know if I'm looking
for and again I don't want to get into this but if I'm looking for a way out anyway and
I see an offense well there's my payoff you know so I don't have to go to church anymore
don't have to go to church anymore you wouldn't either church anymore and it's his fault exactly
or her fault you wouldn't either if he would have said that about you yeah that story that
was told to general conference just a month or so ago Scott about somebody was diseased
in the family and the father and son and son were were blessing the sacrament sitting at
the at the sacrament table and that when the bishop realized it he freaked out and sent
the father and son home and bearst them from everybody what are you doing here and and
don't come back until she's better anyway yeah I can't remember the details that yeah
but I remember the feeling the horror it for me it was a real a reliving of what a priest
that leader did to me and my family once because of a situation and and our son was asked not
to not to go back to church and you know he's 13 year old kid 13 year old kid and said he
can't come back to church and I said well okay that's okay then we'll have church at
our house so for a long time I had to go home and have priests I'd go to sacrament meeting
then I'd have to go home and have sacrament with him and priesthood with him and Sunday
school with him this was when we were in the three hour block that was a tough deal it
would have been easy for me to just say okay we'll just do our own thing yeah but I I know
where the keys are and I know where the truth is and sure and just because of somebody who
who makes a poor decision and offends me doesn't make it right for me to have that perpetuated
through generations of time we can we could give lots of examples of that I want to go
back to the idea again there's a difference between just making up your mind to forgive
someone and forgiving someone through the atonement through the power through the power of Jesus
Christ and our faith in him and his atonement and I think one of the great examples of this
which is in elder Anderson's book is the story of Bishop Chris Williams and you know this
is a pretty well known if you've been in Utah for I don't know if you were here 10 years
ago I think it was about 10 years ago when this happened Scott when a teenage drunk driver
eboned Chris Williams and his family on State Street in South Salt Lake and killed his wife
and all of his daughters his son survived and then he had another teenage son that wasn't
in the car at the time so and and the wife was pregnant expecting their I think their
fifth child I think so anyway Chris immediately now this is amazing to me really his faith
and I hope I'm there I hope that we can maybe all of us get there but he was able to immediately
forgive that young man so I want to read his words this again in the book on page 231 but
I would I just want to read this paragraph this is right after the accident happened
and he had realized that his wife died he just saw her stop breathing I fixed my eyes on
the overturned car I immediately felt an enabling power beyond my own healing and enlarging
my crushed soul I knew exactly what I had to do and exactly what those three words meant
the three words were you got to let it go he he had this voice come into his mind I said
let it go I knew exactly what I had to do and exactly what those three words meant regardless
of whoever had been driving the other car and regardless of whatever the circumstances behind
this tragedy were this was not my burden to carry I knew who should carry that burden
he who had already endured the soul crushing press of the pains of all men including this
burden so that I would not have to bear the infinitely miniscule portion of what Christ
bore in that instant of grace and revelation I knew that my Savior lived and that he was
immediately present with me in my time of greatest need would be I mean really we should
read we should speedily repent Scott and we should speedily forgive and the key to doing
that is our understanding our focus on our understanding of our focus on and our faith
in those are three keys understanding of focus on and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in his
atonement it's pretty amazing well this is the story goes on he he finds out who the
teenage boy is teenage boy goes to jail and he he wants to meet him and and he's concerned
about the young man and so they actually have a meeting in jail and when they're when they're
discussing the kind of the past and what's happened this young man and this is his real
name Cameron he he looks at Chris the dad then now widower and he asks him after all
that I have done to your family how is it that you were able to forgive me and brother
Williams responds and says quote if there's anything you have seen me do or heard or say
or have read about me regarding forgiveness you should know that it was merely the Savior
working through me and then Chris writes the spirit that filled that room was profound
as it pierced both of our hearts with an eternal truth we are loved by the pure love of Jesus
Christ and he wants us to fulfill our potential well I just think that's an incredible example
of someone the day and and maybe maybe you and I should discuss this man make it maybe
a little more clear for our listeners is that this is an example of someone who wasn't just
able to forgive someone but who was redeemed in some form right it's got sanctified redeemed
whatever word you want to put in there that that he just didn't forgive them but he was
changed for redeemed sanctified himself in the process which is actually a compensatory
blessing I mean they tie right together right that redeeming that he went through you know
and again you know that can mean so many things but you're right there was a bit of a redemption
that he experienced there as part of his compensatory blessings that made available to him that he
didn't he didn't just forgive the teenage boy no but he loved the teenage boy yeah and he
got to a point where the experience and I it's so sensitive I know because I can't imagine
how his life was changed for the worse by losing his wife his expecting wife and his
daughters and and and how difficult and the negative impact of that for the rest of his
life however somehow through the atonement of Jesus Christ God and his understanding of
focus on and faith in turned something really awful ashes into something that he didn't
really awful ashes into something really beautiful beauty for ashes that's how the way Isaiah
describes it a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness it flipped from being a terrible
life altering experience for the bad into a life changing experience where his dependence
upon love for Jesus Christ was even strengthened in the process I really hope that none of
us have to experience those kind of tragedies in our lives that's I pray that for all of
us and I mean that but each one of us will have to face something in our lives where
forgiveness is going to be a very important experience for us especially as we come to
him especially as we put on the atonement of Jesus Christ in its fullness this is a really
important part forgiving to receive forgiveness forgiving to receive that closeness Chris
Williams wrote a book it's called let it go a true story of tragedy and forgiveness here's
what it says in the description there when his wife and two children were killed in a
drunk driving accident that didn't include the unborn baby right Chris Williams made
the most important decision of his life I'll just stop right there the most important decision
of his life and then the last and it was a conscious decision sentence it says Chris's
message of forgiveness is an empowering invitation to all who have suffered however ingestly to
lay down their burdens and let go and we know that that is to lay down their burdens at
the foot of the cross and let go and so as each one of us face this forgiving if that
was you know I agree with what said here that it may have been and Chris probably said that
they're probably quoting him he probably said that was the most important decision I've
ever made in my life and I'm sure he sees it that way and what so when we are maybe
an invitation for each of us is when we are facing an experience or an opportunity to
forgive others maybe that's an important decision could be one of the most important decisions
that we make in our lives is to forgive and maybe maybe the decision that precedes that
decision Scott is to strengthen our faith choose now to strengthen our faith in Jesus
Christ and his atonement so that when those things occur in our life we will have sufficient
faith to immediately speedily forgive others because if we don't have that level of faith
in Jesus Christ our savior those kinds of things could destroy an individual and Satan
really use it against us and then the again the generational negative impact of that can
go on forever and ever so it's an amazing story I I used to play there's a video of
this to Scott and on the church website in the library you can find this the story of
Chris Williams and as an example of forgiving others and I used to play that in class when
I would teach this chapter and I would say to the students now this I want you to search
as you watch this video how how was Bishop Williams able to forgive it's an amazing story
enjoy the story but I want you to just focus on one question how was he able to forgive
if our listeners want to read the book or watch the video I would invite them to ask
themselves that same question and it becomes pretty obvious that it's only through his
understanding of focus in faith in Jesus Christ that he's able to do that so I think that
decision may precede the decision to forgive others so I hope our listeners will consider
the difference in forgiving on their own just because it's the right thing to do just because
they don't want it to eat them eat them up they don't want to they don't want to you
know have this become a negative for the rest of their family and then they do it for all
these other great reasons but the real reason we should do it is because of the sanctifying
power and effect it can have on us I think Scott again it it's not I know that there
are some really complex issues out there I know there are some people that because of
abuse and because of other things it's created all kinds of negative psychological and negative
consequences throughout their life but I do also know that Jesus Christ suffered for those
consequences and knowing that knowing that he didn't just suffer for sin but for the
consequences of sin it can help individuals to let it go and letting it go let go let
God is can be really redemptive that you can have peace you can really have peace in your
afflictions and you can really come to know joy even in your suffering Jesus Christ is
a great example of forgiveness how he was able to forgive those who who persecuted him
who made him suffer the scourging the crucifixion all that he went through Scott even bleeding
from every poor he not only was able to quickly forgive the Romans when he said forgive them
father for they know not what they do but he was able to quickly forgive me and he was
able to quickly forgive you and he will quickly forgive all of us and that is the example
Scott that we should all think about is that we should let it go and Scott it really is
sometimes quite simple for example if you've been bitten by the serpent you've been bitten
by somebody has bitten you with somebody put poison in you because of their choice or their
decision what should you do to be healed look to the brazen serpent and some people wouldn't
do that yeah and why wouldn't they do there was too simple it was because the easiness
the way in the simplicity of it is too simple it was too simple yeah and so they wouldn't
they wouldn't even look yeah and so they they wouldn't forgive and they wouldn't do whatever
was required and it wasn't that hard it just required faith it is a miracle Scott it is
simple but it is a miracle be able to forgive others the really terrible things that they've
done it and I've experienced that in my own life yeah so faith it requires faith faith
for us to do that right faith in Jesus Christ faith in the name of Jesus Christ and and all
of the varying degrees of faith that you know in the higher our faith the more power in
faith faith unto repentance and all of that that we can obtain the more likely or the
more natural I never want to use the word easy the more easy would be but the more
natural the more inviting this can be to us you know there's there's a couple reasons
that we don't do that and you know what Dave there's even a payoff to not have faith yeah
I suppose yeah there's a payoff to not have because if I have faith then I have to trust
in this God that I can't see that I have to you know but if I have faith in myself I can
see that and I and I have the illusion that I can control the outcome I believe I'm in
the outcome business right and it's a big problem it's kind of a control issue exactly
so so think of it this way and again I want to be sensitive you know please don't take
this as being an indictment on anybody but just maybe consider maybe just try this on
so if I have faith then I can forgive but if I don't have faith what's the opposite
of faith the opposite of faith is fear right so maybe it's fear that's stopping me from
doing that I have one of my favorite passages in the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous it's
on page 68 of the big back big book of Alcoholics Anonymous it says perhaps there's a better
way we think so for we are now in a different basis the basis of trusting and relying upon
God we trust infinite God rather than our finite selves we are here in the world to
play the role he assigns in other words to align our will with his right just to the
extent that we do as we think he would have us do and humbly rely on him does he enable
us and this is what I love to match calamity with serenity to match our calamity so this
is where match calamity with serenity with serenity and that power it's only as we begin
to trust in an infinite God rather than our finite selves we are in the world to play
the role he assigns so we have to align we have to choose to take on him take on us his
name we have to align with his will for us that's the broken heart contrite spirit and
as Christians I would just say and accept Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer exactly
we are in the world to play the role he assigns just to the extent that we do as we think he
would have us do and humbly rely on him does he enable us to match calamity with serenity
and then he goes on then it goes on we never apologize for anyone for depending upon our
Creator we can laugh at those who think spirituality is a way of weakness paradoxically it is the
way it is the way of strength the verdict of the ages is that faith means courage all
men of faith have courage they trust their God we never apologize for God instead we
let him demonstrate through us what he can do we ask him to remove our fear and direct
our attention to what he would have us be and at once we commence to outgrow fear that's
a secular way at once at once in the divine moment we outgrow fear you know that's a
secular way of saying picture of that we put on the atonement of Jesus Christ yeah absolutely
and we overcome fear in all of its forms and in one of those that's why he commands us
to fear God and that's afraid and that's why the calamity is replaced by serenity yeah
we all feel that it's calamity those who have been abused those who have suffered at the
hands of others those who have just just for maybe no fault of anybody but just because
of the way the fall has enacted or played itself out in their lives that can be calamity yeah
for sure Scott well that's that's that's very helpful insightful I love that don't
close that I want I want I'll send you a copy of it you need to send me a copy there yeah
I've always loved this quote by elder worthlet and you know I man I've had so tender feelings
in my heart for elder elder Joseph worthlet but he said in a conference years ago just
a few years before he passed he wrote the Lord compensates the faithful for every loss this
is the compensatory powers right the Lord compensates the faithful for every loss that's
just that's amazing that which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added
unto them in his own way while it may not come at the time we desire the faithful will
know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundred fold with tears of rejoicing
and gratitude so I know that people when they think of of past pain and hurt that they have
suffered that alone can be painful just remembering it I hope that our listeners again by their
understanding of focus on and faith in Jesus Christ can receive hope that hope that any
tears that they've suffered innocently suffered that because of Jesus Christ in the moment
those tears will be a hundred fold become tears of gratitude and rejoicing so even in
our forgiveness it's not a matter of just forgetting it's a matter of deep hope of the
blessings in our life through the atonement of Jesus Christ it's not it's not just letting
it go it's letting it go and then with an open hand a hand in cupping shape receive the
blessings of the Lord in our lives that's that's just a different way I think of looking
at it I agree yeah it's trading calamity for serenity and blessings serenity and blessings
a hundred fold well thank you Scott yeah what's an invitation I think an invitation for us
this week would be to just take a look at where maybe we have some calamity where maybe
there's some disturbance in our own lives because of things that we have been offended
by because of things that we have had perpetrated against us and for those of our brothers and
sisters who have suffered at the hand of perpetrators and have suffered dark and ugly and grave
and hideous and unspeakable acts we pray for you we pray that you feel the peace we pray
that in this moment that you will fill our heavenly father's love we pray that you will
fill the atonement of Jesus Christ in the enabling powers as you feel his spirit at
work in your life strengthening your faith and we pray that you will find it and and
that we will all find it through him who his mighty to save save us from all that has fallen
all that has fallen and perhaps we never feel more fallen than when we are suffering from
those things that have been perpetrated against us and Scott just a just a thought I I've
talked about speedily forgiving others I know that sometimes it's not a speedy quick thing
to do I know sometimes it takes time that that sometimes forgiving others takes time
but I also know that sometimes we put it off we can be denied certain privileges and blessings
by our choosing not to forgive but I also testify God is patient with us and no matter
how long it takes for us to forgive God is patiently waiting for that to happen and while
you and God is waiting for that to patiently happen you still have the ability to fill
the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ in your life and love of God and we hope that
you do we know that you will if you make an effort to do so that's our prayer we look
forward to being with you again next week and until then be well