I’m very grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is true today as it always has been from the very beginning and it always will in the years to come, especially the eternities. One of the greatest blessings for me about the Gospel is the Atonement because it is the greatest gift that our Savior has given us. Not only are we redeemed of our sins, but we can also be resurrected and live with God and Jesus Christ again after we die. And all the wrong things that happened to us would be amended for, too.
A week ago last Saturday, I went through a recent heartbreak with a friend who abruptly ended our friendship because of our differences in beliefs and his personal challenges that made him feel we couldn’t be friends anymore. It was a very devastating loss for me because we’d been best friends since high school and we tried to be there for each other despite living far away or having different beliefs. Even though I had some feelings in the past that it was going to happen, I was still very shocked and very hurt because I believed we could still be friends despite our differences. However, looking back has made me realize that Heavenly Father was warning me to prepare me for that sad experience.
Even though my friend ended all associations with me and told me to not contact him anymore, I told him I’d always him hold dear in my heart while respecting his decision to not talk to me anymore. Since that experience, I’ve been struggling to process it and understand what had happened and why, even asking Heavenly Father why I had to go through this heartbreak and what I did wrong to deserve this. After some time praying and thinking about it, I finally realized through some promptings from the Spirit that I did whatever I could to love and support my friend in the most Christlike ways possible, despite how things ended between us. I had to accept that it was his choice and it was out of my hands but trust that God would watch over him. One of the most important things I’ve learned recently after that experience is even though someone who once considered me a friend but ended it and cut off all contact with me, I don’t have to stop loving him, caring about him or praying for him because I can still cherish the good friend that he was to me and the good times we had together. I can still be Christlike to him because I truly testify that the greatest commandment that Jesus has ever given us is that we love others as He loves us and we love Him.
It’s so amazing how Jesus was so loving and forgiving to everyone He met, including those who wronged Him. Like anyone who’s been hurt in every way, He could’ve shunned them or hurt them back to get even. Instead, He didn’t because that would’ve defeated His sole purpose on the earth. He would’ve ceased being our Savior. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone. We wouldn’t be redeemed, resurrected or amended for. I think we’d be lost forever.
I’ve always loved the story of Jesus forgiving the adulterous woman because while she committed one of the most serious sins in the Gospel, He still had compassion for her and forgave her. For me, the most beautiful thing that came from that encounter was not only did Jesus call out to the Pharisees and tell them to let one person without sin cast the first stone, He also assured the woman that He didn’t condemn her after He asked her who her accusers were and she told him no one because there weren’t any after she looked around to see if there were. For me, I think that was a powerful feeling for her because her sin was already paid for when the Savior forgave her.
Another amazing example from Jesus is even though he was betrayed by His apostle Judas, along with the Pharisees, the Roman soldiers, and many of the other Jews who feared and despised Jesus, He still forgave them when He was judged, whipped, humiliated, and crucified. He chose to love them despite everything they put Him through because that was who He truly was and who He chose to be. He proved that despite all the horrible things that people put Him through, even the most horrible things can be forgiven and redeemed for. It’s true when people say “Love conquers all” because it’s the greatest gift that we’ve ever been given from Jesus. That’s why I try to be like Him every day because I truly believe that our lives become better when we show compassion, forgiveness, and kindness to everyone. It’s not always easy especially when people wrong us or abuse us in any way, but it doesn’t mean we have to tolerate their bad behavior because we deserve better. But if we handle our trials in the most Christlike ways possible, the ways that Jesus would want us to if He were in those situations, I truly believe it brings us closer to Him and who we truly are as sons & daughters of God.
Going back to my friend whom I’m not in contact with anymore… Even though my heart is still broken and in the healing process, I choose to be forgiving and Christlike to him because I cherish and truly believe in God’s Plan of Happiness for all of us. We may or may not renew our friendship in this life, but I’m incredibly grateful for the hope that it can still happen in the next life, as promised in the Plan of Salvation.
If anyone had gone through a similar experience with a friend, a family member, a relative or a co-worker, or anyone you’ve come across and felt the need to care for them, don’t lose hope. Give them space, but don’t stop caring about them, loving them, thinking about them or praying for them. Keep doing what Christ taught you to do—love one another as He has loved you.
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