Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Gen. 33:1-11 Forgiveness and grudges

Gen. 33:1-11 President Thomas S. Monson: 
“Many years ago I read the following Associated Press dispatch which appeared in the newspaper: An elderly man disclosed at the funeral of his brother, with whom he had shared, from early manhood, a small, one-room cabin near Canisteo, New York, that following a quarrel, they had divided the room in half with a chalk line, and neither had crossed the line or spoken a word to the other since that day--62 years before. Just think of the consequence of that anger. What a tragedy!” (“School Thy Feelings, O My Brother,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 68–69).

Gen. 33:1-11 Elder Marion D. Hanks
“What is our response when we are offended, misunderstood, unfairly or unkindly treated, or sinned against, made an offender for a word, falsely accused, passed over, hurt by those we love, our offerings rejected? Do we resent, become bitter, hold a grudge? Or do we resolve the problem if we can, forgive, and rid ourselves of the burden?

“The nature of our response to such situations may well determine the nature and quality of our lives, here and eternally. …

“… Even if it appears that another may be deserving of our resentment or hatred, none of us can afford to pay the price of resenting or hating, because of what it does to us” (“Forgiveness: The Ultimate Form of Love,” Ensign, Jan. 1974, 20, 21).