Dear Reader,
Love is the key to all true understanding. Love is not about control or possession but about connection — a bridge that draws me closer to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and those around me. Too often we use words like “I love you” casually, almost like saying “Have a nice day.” Yet love carries far deeper meaning. As Tolstoy once observed, everything we truly understand comes through love. That is the spirit I hope to express each time I speak of it.
In my life, I have found that love and forgiveness cannot be separated. Forgiveness is not a single act but a way of living. When I forgive, I not only release others but also discover freedom within my own heart. As one writer said, to forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. Christ Himself taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven, even to love and bless our enemies.
As I strive to live in the spirit of love and forgiveness, I begin to taste the spiritual dimension of life. For me, this means placing my will and my life in the care of Heavenly Father and trusting the guidance of Jesus Christ. Gratitude keeps me in this place of surrender. When I give thanks in the moment, I recognize how often His hand has blessed and sustained me.
I recall the freedom I felt after posting a letter of forgiveness to my former wife and acknowledging my own errors in that marriage. In that act, I was both forgiving her and asking for forgiveness. Peace replaced anger, and healing entered the grievance. By living Step 3 — turning my will and life over to God — alongside Step 9 — making amends wherever possible — I found spiritual freedom. As another reminder puts it, it is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up.
Through Christlike love and forgiveness, even toward those who have harmed us, we discover a deeper happiness. It is no longer something we chase but the grace of living each moment with God. The Apostle Paul calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1–2), and Mosiah assures us that those who walk faithfully with God are “blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual… in a state of never-ending happiness.”
My prayer is that each of us will choose love and forgiveness as daily companions, and in doing so, find the joy of walking with Christ. I know that Heavenly Father calls me to be renewed, to be transformed, and I have faith in the promise that those who remain faithful will be blessed both temporally and spiritually — and will one day dwell with Him in never-ending joy.
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