Innocent

One of my favorite stories in scripture is the parable of the unjust servant. You remember that he owed a large sum of money. His master forgave him the debt, but that same servant went out and had a fellow servant put into prison for a much smaller debt. The master rebuked him for not showing the same compassion that he had himself received and then sent him to the same fate as his fellow servant.

Why do I like that parable so much? You could see it as a depressing account, since the servant once freed made a bad decision that caused him to be re-imprisoned.

True. But try thinking of it this way. Because we are faced with many challenges in life, our response to hardship is the deciding factor to whether our struggles become blessings that free us from temptation or a curse that destroys our lives and imprisons us anew. No. I am not talking about being thrown behind bars of steel from which we cannot escape. I am talking about imprisonment much more severe from which we have no deliverence. That's the incarceration of self destruction when we fail to forgive those around us for comparartively small infractions, when we ourselves are freely pardoned for major transgressions if we but seek forgiveness and live accordingly.

Remember, we all fall short of the kingdom of God. We must all be redeemed from the Fall. When we freely forgive others, we ourselves are liberated and may qualify for the blessings of eternal life.

Once we receive that gift, how tragic it would be to lose it because we hold malice for our neighbor and forfeit the greater blessing.

We can all be innocent because we are washed clean though the blood of the Lamb.

Perhaps another reason I love that parable is because it's a warning to us. When we have been redeemed of such a great debt, we too must return the same compassion to others, which the Lord has extended to us.

We are given multiple chances to come unto Him and be healed. Every opportunity is made possible for us if we would choose to follow the example of the Savior. Alma 5:27

And by the grace of God we are innocent, sanctified through the Atonement of Christ.

This is the essence of His gospel.