Forgiveness

Well this is an important topic for me this week. I recently gave birth to our third child, and any of you that have children know how disruptive a new arrival can be to your family dynamic. Amid the struggles of parenting a new child, my husband and I had somehow lost sight of each other. We were not taking the time to be kind and considerate, instead we were both focused on our own agendas; finding fault, offending, and being easily offended in turn. The tone in our home has not been productive, to say the least. When Paul states "For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?", it calls to mind that the one I was hurting, my husband, is also the source of my greatest joy on this earth. We had to stop and confront the fact that the environment that had been created was a product of both of our choices and in turn, there was a need for apologies and forgiveness from both sides. At the end of our conversation it hit me like a ton of bricks "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." We are not as susceptible to obvious temptations like infidelity or breeches in the Word of Wisdom. However getting us to withhold forgiveness and cling to our pride is a wonderful way for the advisory to get his foot in our family. It became clear as day that we had allowed his influence into our lives. While we're still working on coming back from this slump, I know that that in the long run that is all it is, a slump. As long as we are willing to apply to atonement of Christ, repenting and asking forgiveness and giving that pardon when it is asked, we'll be moving in the right direction.