Article April 25, 2011 Issue

The blessing of forgiving

By James Fisher

Forgiving is easy!

Or so I thought, until I was faced with a couple of difficult conflicts that severely tested me. Actually, I found out, truly following Christ’s command to forgive our neighbors can be a hard thing to do.

Jesus gives us direct instruction on how to handle personal malice in his Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44). Here is a divine rule for us to follow and demonstrate, and it has inspired me to learn the power of forgiveness and the blessings it brings.