A friend of mine hit me real hard the
other day. And according to Matthew 5:39 Jesus says: ”But I say
unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on
thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ”
Of course it doesn´t mean that we
shall put ourselves in mortal danger if we are getting beat up
physically (or emotianally). But if we respond to hatred with Love
then we´ll might bee given a chance to share the gospel. And that´s
just what happened to me with my friend. He told me later that he had
to stop hitting me because i responded in such a cool and calm way
and he asked me how I could do that. So I explained to him that it
was because of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave me
inner peace even when his fist broked my lips.
But the most important thing for me was
that I was able to forgive him. Of course it was easier to find true
forgivness in my heart when I could see that he was honest and
sincere saying ”sorry”.
Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for
he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned
before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. (D&C 64:9)
If we are getting hurt our natural
response can sometimes be anger byt we must remember that we can´t
heal a negative action with another negative action. Looking back
upon my life I realize that negative experiences sometimes shaped me
more than positive ones, because I was able to forgive and then
blessed with the power to make a change. The power of forgiveness
gave me back control of my life, because it took me out of victim
mode.
Hymn 185 Reverently and Meekly Now
verse 3
Bid thine heart all strife to
cease;
With thy brethren be at peace.
Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
E'en forgiven now by me.
In the solemn faith of prayer
Cast upon me all thy care,
And my Spirit's grace shall be
Like a fountain unto thee.
With thy brethren be at peace.
Oh, forgive as thou wouldst be
E'en forgiven now by me.
In the solemn faith of prayer
Cast upon me all thy care,
And my Spirit's grace shall be
Like a fountain unto thee.