I Gave a Talk in Church

I gave my second talk in my ward today. My ward is pretty small, so everyone gets to talk about every six months. It's really fantastic (sarcasm does not come across in type). But really, giving a talk in church is really not that big of a deal.

I was able to choose my topic, and I chose to focus on forgiving others. This has been an issue in my life, and there have been recent issues where it was brought back to me that this is something I struggle with. I based my talk off a General Conference address from President Faust called "The Healing Power of Forgiveness" and the scripture 1 Nephi 7:22, where Nephi is able to "frankly forgive" his brothers. I also decided to share some experiences where I did not forgive immediately and what I learned from those experiences.

One of those instances was when I went through a divorce. This is not something I share with a lot of people. Even though it was nearly 8 years ago, I still had this fear that people would judge me for it. So I only told close friends. But I decided that it was a time in my life that happened and I can't go back and change it, and if someone did judge me for it then that was their problem. It was also a time in my life where I learned a lot about myself and the people around me. I shared my road to forgiveness in that situation and I truly believe there is power in forgiveness.

The response after sacrament meeting was amazing. So many people told me they really enjoyed my talk. My friend Jess said it was great I shared such personal stories because it helped her to apply it to her life. Two of my other friends sincerely told me they appreciated what I said, then gave me a hug. I am glad that from something so awful can come an opportunity to learn and share with others.