Thursday, March 31, 2011

Forgiveness – The Balm of the Gospel

We sometimes find ourselves wronged by another. It may be unintended or purposeful. It may be small or very significant. It may be easy to forgive or very difficult to overcome. Whatever the offense, when we lack the ability to forgive, we enter the realms of Satan, the fallen son of the morning, who could not forgive his Father and Brother for their rejection of his flawed plan for our salvation. Because of his rancor and hatred, he suffers eternally, as do all of those spirits who supported him in the pre-existence. Holding grudges, festering our souls with hatred, resentment, and bitterness draws us inexorably away from the path that will return us to the presence of our Father and Elder Brother.

Touch Our Eyes That We May See

Father, let thy light divine
Shine on us, we pray.
Touch our eyes that we may see; [emphasis added]
Teach us to obey.
Ours the sacred mission is
To bear thy message far.
The light of faith is in our hearts,
Truth our guiding star.
(chorus of The Light Divine, Hymns, Pg 305)

The Savior healed many and various infirmities, but not all, because He had certain criteria for performing a healing miracle. He always ascertained that those he healed had the faith to be healed, or at the least that someone close to them possessed the necessary faith. As always, He had a deeper purpose, and eternal purpose, for his miracles. Certainly, one of his objectives was to relieve physical suffering. He healed the lame, the blind, the deaf, those with diseases, those with evil spirits, those with various ills of body and mind, and even raised the dead. Compassion and love also motivated Him.