Thoughts

Today I have a lot to think about. I'm excited for my trip but at the same time I've never been so nervous. I guess leaving the USA can do that to me. I like the comforts of home. I'm sure I'll have all kinds of fun adventures in Costa Rica though and I'll post some of those here.

However, that's not the only thing I've been thinking about today. At church today one of the speakers talked about being a good judge without being judgmental. He based his talk on a recent general conference address (sorry, I don't remember which one). I really liked his main point about how sometimes people we love do dumb things but that doesn't make the person dumb. We need to learn to separate the actions of a person from them as individuals. For example, when someone does something that hurts or offends do you say "I can't believe how stupid they are" or do you say "I can't believe it, what a stupid thing to do." Can you see the difference? Holding judgment isn't an easy thing to do.

Recently I've thought a lot about forgiveness too. I remember reading a quote a few years ago that said something like "Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and waiting for them to die." Obviously you are hurting yourself more when you don't forgive, if you take offense, or if you hold on to negative thoughts about a person. Not being judgmental is a hard lesson to learn and it's one I'm still working on.

I sometimes wish forgiveness could come easier but I think the deeper the hurt, the longer it can take to recover. I'm grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know at times in my life I've only been able to forgive a person through the help of my Savior. Through His gospel and the scriptures I can also find comfort. And because of the knowledge I have that we're all children of God, I can still love the people around me even when I may not like what they do.