Forgiveness

"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, for friends again at last."- JS. I'm working on last minute preparation for my Sunday lesson. I'm using current scenarios from the newspaper and knowing people as examples to discuss instead of just the stories from the scriptures. I like to bring the class to think about the subject in their lives. A drunk driver wipes out your family. could you forgive them? An adulterous spouse tears apart your family with their guilt and actions. Could you forgive him? Your child is murdered. Could you forgive? Growing up in an abusive home. Could you forgive your parents?
Mandela is a great man not because of all he endured but because he forgave his abusers.
Martin Luther King had a higher purpose.
Joseph Smith forgave all who trespassed against him.
Forgiveness will change bitterness to Love.
In everyday circumstances of life, we will surely be wronged by other people, sometimes innocently and sometimes intentionally. It is easy to become bitter or angry or vengeful in these situation. The Lord said, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use, and persecute you."
We should also look for the good in others rather than focusing on their faults and magnifying their weaknesses.
After all, it's not my job to judge, God will judge.