Gifts

So how many of you have a Google home? I do, I got one for Christmas last year. Sometimes I like to ask Google random questions and usually within seconds it gives me an answer.....like today I asked Google how many days have past since February 27, 1972......because I am sure you all have the same question now the answer is 17460. Your welcome.....I also asked Google how many pennies were in a pound. So you know there are 145 pennies in a pound. Its nice to learn something new right? Also, don't you think in hearing a number like 17460 it sounds like a number worthy of celebration? Well I do...just so you know I am 17460 days old today.....I am really getting up there!

I have been thinking a lot about gifts and what I can give myself. Now, I can ask others for gifts, sometimes my wish is granted, especially around Christmas time and my birthday. Sometimes its nice to get yourself something that you really want. Sometimes the best gifts don't cost money.

Back to the pennies.....what if you were given a penny to carry around everyday? You would just most likely put it in your pocket and unless you put your hand in there you probably would forget about it. There are people who wear penny loafers and carry 2 pennies around daily and they probably don't even feel the weight of those 2 pennies. What I am getting at is a penny to carry around is no big deal....or is it? Lets say for the sake of numbers that we are all nearly perfect and only have one thing or do one thing per day that causes us or someone else pain. Ok now, lets say for that one thing we are asked to carry a penny around. So, me being 17460 days old.......145 pennies to a pound.  This means that I am now carrying around 120.41 pounds of pennies....but in reality we all get way more than a penny a day. Sometimes we get several pennies a day....sometimes something weighs more than a penny and it feels more like a gold bar. How many of us are carrying around thousands of pounds of weight because we are not emptying our pockets everyday?

I am talking about forgiveness. How many of us are carrying around unneeded weight because we cannot seem to let go of the pennies in our pockets. How many of us are carrying a backpack that is hundreds of pounds because it is hard to hard to get rid of the pennies? How much weight is on your shoulders? Crushing you and leaving you with little else to do than feel the weight and have it constantly in your mind? I just thinking would it not be better to put those pennies and gold bars in a bank and have someone else take care of them. Lucky for us there is someone willing to carry our pennies for us. The Savior Jesus Christ is willing to carry all of our pennies....both yours and mine. Everyones! He is willing to carry around the heavy weight for us. What a gift!

Forgiveness is hard. To forgive someone does not mean that your are weak....it means that you are strong enough to know that people make mistakes. Forgiveness is for you! Lewis Smedes said, "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you!"  Forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future. Forgiving someone may cost you your pride....but not forgiving someone will cost you your freedom.

So for my 17460 day of birth I am giving myself the gift of forgiveness.  I know I am human....I make mistakes....sometimes a lot. Most of the time I am hardest on myself.  But honestly, if I have hurt you or made you feel bad I am so sorry...please forgive me. I probably don't even realize I have hurt you. But mostly I realize life is to short and none of us are promised tomorrow so today is the day!