Removing Oneself from the Equation

So this has been a long week on many levels for me. For those of you are unaware, I am again single and yes it was short-lived relationship. But as the French say "C'est la vie."

I have decided to write on a topic that I had thought about posting last week but decided that it might ill suited for that point in time.

Something I have learned on and off my mission is that forgiveness is a key element in the gospel. The forgiving of self and others. Both of these are important to living the gospel. As my teacher Brother Palmer said "There are two things you had better learn to be good at in this life, repenting and forgiving." Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves of these we've done. But more often than not we need to forgive others. This, as many of you know, is not always easy but it is necessary if we are to follow the example of the Savior. Christ taught "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, you heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15) So as we can see that if we want to stand worthily before "the pleasing bar of Jehovah" then we must forgive others, no matter how much they've wronged us. I believe that I understand why this is necessary.

Last December I saw the movie TRON: Legacy. It is one of favorite movies despite the various flaws that I have found in it. Sam Flynn, the main character from the previous TRON is imprisoned on the fringes of the GRID by a former ally. There he learns to how to "take oneself out of the equation". This phrase at first stuck me as being a hollow ideal meant simply to move the plot along at the ideal time. As the story moves along the audience sees that Sam puts his own value as secondary so that he can better help those for whom he cares. I think that forgiveness requires a bit of the same. We have to learn to "remove [ourselves] from the equation." I mean that we have to let go of the pain and hurt and let it be healed through the Atonement of Christ. Because as we do, we are better able to help and serve those around us. We often end up with more love and compassion for those we love, and we will be better able to serve them. Forgiveness allows us to stop cycles of pain and allows everyone involved to continue their progression.

Christ is obviously our best example of forgiveness. I hope and pray that we can learnt to forgive and "take [ourselves] out of the equation" when necessary.