Come, Follow Me
Why do I need to forgive others?

Why do I need to forgive others?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

In order to receive forgiveness for our sins, we need to forgive others. Forgiving others allows us to overcome feelings of anger, bitterness, or revenge. Forgiveness can heal spiritual wounds and bring the peace and love that only God can give.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What have you learned by forgiving others? Can you think of a time when forgiving someone has helped you feel peace and love?

What experiences are the young women having in which they need to forgive others? What do they need to learn about forgiving themselves? How can you help the young women learn to forgive so that they can find peace?

Note: If the young women have questions about forgiveness in cases of abuse, suggest that they seek counsel from the bishop or branch president.

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

In every setting, the Savior was the example and mentor for His disciples. He taught them to pray by praying with them. He taught them to love and serve by loving and serving them. He taught them to forgive others by forgiving them. How can you be an example of the principles you are teaching?

Video: “We Share”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Show the portion of Elder Jose L. Alonso’s talk “Love One Another as He Has Loved Us” where he tells the story of Ted and Sharon forgiving the person who accidentally ran over their son (or invite a class member to come prepared to share the story). What helped them to forgive in this situation? Invite the young women to think about a person they need to forgive and write down something they feel inspired to do after learning about Ted and Sharon’s experience. How can Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ help us forgive others?

  • Divide the young women into groups, and give each group copies of one of the talks provided in this outline (or another talk of your choice about forgiveness). Invite them to spend a few minutes reading the talk and marking statements that impress them (tell them not to worry about reading the entire talk; emphasize instead the importance of pondering its message). Ask them to share with the class what they find and explain why it is meaningful to them.

  • Read together the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:23–35 (or show the video “Forgive 70 Times 7”), and ask the young women to calculate and compare the debts of the servant and his fellowservant (see “Weights and Measures” in the Bible Dictionary). What do the young women learn from this parable about forgiveness? Invite the young women to find and share other scriptures that teach the importance of forgiving others (such as the scriptures suggested in this outline).

  • Ask the young women to compare examples in the scriptures of people forgiving others. You could review the examples of Joseph in Egypt (see Genesis 45:1–7), Nephi and his brothers (see 1 Nephi 7:21), Jesus Christ on the cross (see Luke 23:34), or others. Why is it especially important to forgive family members? Show one of the videos suggested in this outline, and ask the young women to share their impressions. What other examples of forgiveness could they share?

  • Write the following questions on separate slips of paper, and hand one to each class member: Why do we need to forgive everyone, including ourselves? Why is the Lord the only one who can decide whether or not a person should be forgiven? Why is failure to forgive such a great sin? Invite the young women to ponder their question as they read Matthew 5:44; 6:14–15; 18:21–22; Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11. Then invite the young women to share their thoughts and insights.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.