The Unmerciful Servant

So I taught the lesson of the Unmerciful Servant today in Primary, albeit not well. I definitely could've prepared better. That's what comes of getting it done on a Saturday, I suppose.

In any case, when I was preparing, I found a few things that I thought were interesting:

First of all, the Primary manual contained some compelling questions. To preface, I'm taking a class right now in which the teacher has said that sometimes when we relate parables to ourselves we always think of ourselves as the Good Samaritan, or the Father who welcomes his prodigal son, or the Shepherd. But he feels that that is not the case. We like to think of ourselves as the one in the good, holy, or merciful position, when actually, we are the ones who are behaving the worst in the parable, or who need the most help. So, according to that standard, we ARE the unmerciful servant. But the manual asked also, "How are we sometimes like the unmerciful servant? like the king? How do you feel when you forgive others? when you do not forgive?"This means that we are sometimes in the position of the king. We are in the position to forgive others. So, while, in my opinion, we should be thinking of ourselves as the unmerciful servant, and watching ourselves for that behavior so we can keep it out, I would agree with the manual that we have the opportunity to forgive, and add that that is something we should be watching for in ourselves as well.

Second, three of the scriptures I was supposed to read to prepare provide a valuable insight:

Matthew 18:34-35

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (italics added)

Ephesians 4:32

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (italics added)

Doctrine and Covenants 64:8-10

8 My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.
9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (italics added)

I think these scriptures teach an interesting lesson, that is (at least, what I get from it) that we can forgive someone outwardly, and avoid forgiving them inwardly. We can go through all the motions, and exhibit behavior which seems to show that we have forgiven them, but still not forgive them in our hearts.

This poses an interesting question. To borrow a phrase from the vlogbrothers (with whose videos I would advise discretion) a "non-rhetorical question." This means that I am absolutely fine with you coming up with answers in the comments and we can discuss it our something, if you feel so inclined. In the lesson there were a few questions to clarify when you are being forgiving. For instance:

Are you forgiving when you say, “I forgive you, but I will not forget what you did”?

and

Are you forgiving when you stand up for someone who has been unkind to you?

So this is my question, in a similar format: Are you forgiving when you forgive a person for what they have done, but you still do not trust them? If you are not being forgiving in this situation, is it then appropriate for you not to be forgiving them just yet, because you feel they cannot be trusted with important things?

I feel as though I have an answer, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'd like to testify that if we are not forgiving (as the unmerciful servant was not) then the Lord will not be willing to forgive us for the things that we have done wrong. I would also like to testify that we need his forgiveness, even temporally we need it. It makes our lives so much greater when we can know we have been forgiven, through repentance, for something we had done wrong, and to be able to drop those burdens from our backs and carry on, doing our best not to pick them up again. I testify that forgiveness is sweet and amazing, and if you repent of the things which you have done wrong, with a sincere and broken heart and a contrite spirit; that you go through the repentance process correctly, doing as you are supposed to do, and being who you are supposed to be in your heart, that you can be forgiven. And it will taste sweet to you.