Take No Offense

Take No Offense

To be angry and unforgiving is selfishness. To have unconditional love and to forgive is selflessness.

For the life of me I cannot remember when my father told me that being angry is a choice. When somebody wrongs us in any way we have the selfish choice of being reactive and childish or the selfless choice of being proactive and mature. I know for myself that only the selfless choice brings me true joy. Being proactive strengthens my relationships with others and helps me see their deeper needs and fears.

I also know that being selfish only leaves me alone and unhappy. The childish pleasure of reacting does not last, because pleasure does not last, while the joy of growing in love towards others is eternal.

Choose not to be angry.

Who are we the children of? Romans 8: 16 reads, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” We are children of our Heavenly Father. You are a either literally a Son or Daughter of God. Now, often people understand that but ignore what this also means. This means that we are all literally brothers and sister! That man walking down the street is your brother, your brother! Love your siblings…

There are times your brothers and sisters will hurt you. They will do something as small as saying a thoughtless word to deliberately hurting you. Some way or another your brothers and sisters will wound you.

The prophet Nephi was always being mistreated by his older brothers Laman and Lamuel. At one point they had just tied Nephi up and by the power of God he broke the bands that bounded him. His older brothers then became sorrowful for their actions. They pleaded for forgiveness. I love what Nephi did in 1 Nephi 7:21, “And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done.”

I would hope we could all be like Nephi and frankly forgive our brothers and sisters like Nephi forgave his brothers. Forgive right away and choose not to be angry.