Last week I studied the JOY of repentance, and this week I studied the other side of the coin - forgiveness as I read the talk: Have I Truly Been Forgiven? by Elder K. Brett Nattress.
As I have thought about this, I don't think you can ever have one without the other. Repentance and Forgiveness are always present together. In the instances where we seek to repair [repent] for an offense we perpetrated toward another - one who may not be willing to forgive us for the thing we did - we still receive forgiveness (1) from the Lord, and we can give forgiveness (2) to ourselves, trusting that (3) that individual will one day extend forgiveness as well. Even if they don't we can also forgive them for not forgiving us!!!
I think that forgiving is a key component of how we remember and love Heavenly Father. It also is an important element of FEELING God's love. When we repent, He forgives which allows us to FEEL His love. When I have truly forgiven another person of an offense toward me, and I really had to work at it, the joy that accompanied the completion of that forgiveness was so good it is beyond words to describe.
Elder Nattress through reminding us of Alma's story of repentance, also teaches that the same promise of complete and perfect forgiveness given to Alma is made to each of us as well. I have to think about that phrase some more... complete and perfect forgiveness... I like the idea of being able to EXTEND complete and perfect forgiveness to others just as the Lord extends it to me daily.
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