A Recipe for Forgiveness

Yesterday I received an email from an awesome Institute [church class] teacher I had before my mission. In it, he included a talk by Madison U. Sowell to BYU entitled, "On Measuring Flour and Forgiveness." I decided to print it out so I could read it this morning and WOW! It was a really great talk! It made me want to be better and forgive quicker and more fully. Near the end of his speech, he included a poem by Marguerite Stewart, entitled, "Forgiveness Flour." This poem hit me the most out of the talk so I would like to share it with all of you. Here it is:

When I went to the door, at the whisper of knocking,

I saw Simeon Gantner's daughter, Kathleen, standing

There, in her shawl and her shame, sent to ask

"Forgiveness Flour" for her bread. "Forgiveness Flour," 

We call it in our corner. If one has erred, one 

Is sent to ask for flour of his neighbors. If they loan it

To him, that means he can stay, but if they refuse, he had 

Best take himself off. I look at Kathleen...

What a jewel of a daughter, though not much like her

Father, more's the pity. "I'll give you flour," I

Said, and went to measure it. Measuring was the rub.

If I gave too much, neighbors would think I made sin

Easy, but if I gave too little, they would label me 

"Close." While I stood measuring, Joel, my husband

Came in from the mill, a great bag of flour on his 

Shoulder, and seeing her there, shrinking in the 

Doorway, he tossed the bag at her feet. "Here, take

All of it." And so she had flour for many loaves,

While I stood measuring.

lds.org

How often do we think more than we should about forgiveness? Of course, consequences must be taken care of but, we can not be fully forgiven if we will not forgive. I know when I fully forgive, I feel better. I feel at peace and that I am not weighed down by that grudge. When we forgive, we let it go so that the person who we are upset with, and even more so, we are made to feel lifted up. 

I'd love to invite you all to read that talk. It is a little long but, every word was worth it. It really makes you think of if you have fully forgiven those around you, and also, if you have forgiven yourself. Because God will always be ready to forgive us.