Lesson 27

Lesson Title: "Forgiving Ourselves"

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Resource Guide for Young Women Manual 3 at lds.org.

OBJECTIVE:

Each young woman will recognize the importance of forgiving herself.

PREPARATION:

1. Provide a rock, book, or some other object weighing approximately 1 to 2 pounds.
2. Optional: Provide a narrow-necked jar or container (see the third section of the lesson). The jar or container should have an opening large enough for an unclasped hand to go through, but small enough so that a clenched fist cannot be drawn out. Provide also a rock or object to be placed in the jar.
3. Note: Other lessons treat the subject of forgiving others. This lesson deals with forgiveness of self.

ATTENTION GETTER:

As class begins, ask a young woman to hold in the air a stone or other object weighing 1 to 2 pounds, extending her arm out from the shoulder. Ask her to hold the stone in this position while the following story is told.

Story:

A group of young women were hiking in the mountains and had stopped to rest before starting the climb up a long, steep hill. Julie was the strongest hiker in the troop and was usually out in front setting a pace that was sometimes difficult for the rest to follow. On this day some of the young women decided to play a trick on her. While she was resting and enjoying a drink, they quietly opened her pack and hid a large stone inside. When the rest period was over, the young women put the packs on their backs and started up the steep mountain trail. At first Julie was not aware of the extra weight she was carrying, but after a while her pack began to feel heavy and she started to tire. For the first time she could remember, she was forced to drop back with the slower girls in the rear of the group. It was not until she had almost reached the top of the mountain that Julie discovered why her pack felt so heavy and why she had become so tired. She was angry at first, but then she realized that her friends were only teasing her for being a strong hiker. She laughed with the others about the useless stone she had carried so far up the mountain. Once the heavy stone was removed from her pack, Julie felt strong again and was soon walking in her usual place at the front of the group.

Teacher presentation

Tell the young woman who is still holding the object to lay it down. Ask if she is tired, and let her comment on how heavy even a small weight becomes if you have to hold it for a while. Suggest that although we do not usually carry stones about, we sometimes carry other kinds of weights that are as useless and tiring as the stone Julie carried. The stones or weights we carry are our sins.

LESSON:

CONCLUSION:

Explain that the Lord has promised us that he will forgive us and remember our sins no more if we repent. It is up to us to repent and forgive ourselves. Sometimes it is easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves. We must exercise faith in God and ourselves and rid our lives of past wrongdoings.

Scripture

Explain that Alma described his forgiveness in Alma 36:16-21. Have the young women read this passage. Tell the young women that if they have any sins they have not repented of, they can find peace and happiness through the process of repentance. Assure them that they can be forgiven and have the peace of a clear conscience. They can forget their wrongdoings and put them out of their lives.

HANDOUT: